rAomc,  urn, 


AGRIC.  DEPT, 


UNITED  STATES  IRRIGATION  SURVEY 


ABSTRACT  OF  FIRST  ANNUAL  REPORT— 1888-1889. 

The  area  of  the  arid  region  is  about  1,300,000  square  miles — one- 
third  of  the  entire  country.  I  judge  that  of  this  area  there  can  be 
economically  reclaimed,  by  irrigation,  within  the  present  generation, 
at  least  150,000  square  miles — an  empire  one-half  as  large  as  the 
entire  area  now  cultivated  in  the  United  States.  Irrigated,  this  land 
would  be  worth  not  less  than  $30  an  acre,  adding  $2,880,000,000  to 
the  wealth  of  the  nation. 

In  expending  the  $100,000  appropriated  by  Congress  on  October 
2,  1888,  and  a  portion  of  the  $250,000  appropriated  on  March  2, 1889, 
I  have  interpreted  the  law  not  as  authorizing  the  construction  of 
works  of  irrigation,  but  only  as  directing  a  comprehensive  investi- 
gation of  prevailing  conditions:  the  whereabouts  of  irrigable  land 
most  eligible  for  redemption  and  its  segregation  for  homestead  settle- 
ment; the  amount  of  available  water;  the  location  of  reservoir  sites 
and  canal  sites;  the  seepage;  the  evaporation;  the  vested  rights,  and 
how  to  maintain  them;  and,  generally,  the  most  economical  method 
of  bringing  the  land  and  the  water  together. 

To  this  end  I  have  proceeded  to  expend  the  money  in  such  a  way 
as  to  obtain  the  information  required  in  the  shortest  time. 

The  topographic  work  for  making  the  necessary  maps  was  placed 
in  charge  of  Prof.  A.  H.  Thompson ;  the  engineering  and  hydraulic 
work  in  charge  of  Capt.  C.  E.  Dutton.  Work  was  begun  in  October, 
1888,  and  carried  on  during  1888  and  1889  in  Montana,  Idaho,  Nevada, 
California,  Utah,  New  Mexico,  and  Colorado. 

The  topographic  work  consisted  of  surveys  delineating  the  topo- 
graphic features  of  the  country;  the  areas  of  all  drainage  basins;  the 
courses  of  streams;  the  situation  of  lakes,  springs,  and  other  bodies 
of  water;  the  positions  of  possible  reservoir  sites;  the  location  of 
dams  and  canal  lines,  and  the  altitude,  position,  and  general  charac- 
ter of  all  irrigable  lands. 

The  hydraulic  and  engineering  work  consisted  of  the  measurement 
of  rain-fall  and  the  study  of  general  meteorology;  measurement  of 
river  flow,  evaporation,  and  matter  carried  in  suspension  by  water; 
the  ascertainment  of  the  duty  of  water,  and  the  determination  of  the 

VII 


31031 


VIII 


UNITED    STATES    IRRIGATION    SURVEY. 


mode  and  cost  of  construction  of  dams  and  canals,  and  of  the  areas 
and  contents  of  reservoirs. 

Following  is  a  tabular  summary  of  work  done  during  the  fiscal 
year: 

Table  of  work  during  the  fiscal  year. 


States. 

Area  mapped. 

Area  surveyed. 

1888. 

1889. 

Total. 

Scale  field  work. 

Contour 
interval. 

Square 
miles  sur- 
veyed. 

California              

Sq.  miles. 
1,580 
13,000 

Sq.  miles. 
3,268 
10,200 
1,900 
1,670 
2,570 
1,642 

Sq.  miles. 
4,848 
23,200 
1,900 
5,270 
6,370 
1,892 

1  inch  to  1  mile  .  . 
....do  

Feet. 

100 
(50 

120 

1,466 
12,650 

Colorado          . 

Idaho     

Montana     .        .          

3,600 
3,800 
250 

1  inch  to  2  miles. 
1  inch  to  1  mile.  .. 
....do  

200 
J100 
1   50 
100 

3.60C 
3,800 
250 

New  Mexico 

Nevada 

Total  

22,230 

21,250 

43,480 

21,766 

Expenditures  from  October  3,  1888,  to  June  30, 1889 $172, 171. 83 

Cost  per  square  mile 3.95 

Reservoir  sites  and  canal  sites  located. 


Reservoir  sites. 

Canal 

sites. 

Selected  for  segre- 
gation. 

Sur- 
veyed. 

Sur- 
veyed. 

Number. 

Area  in  sq. 
miles. 

Montana  

61 
16 
25 
10 
15 

1,762 
252+ 
185* 
75+ 
399+ 

10 
12 
10 

3 
i 

California  

Colorado  .  

Utah  

New  Mexico  ... 

1 
1 

Nevada  

Total  

127 

2,673} 

34 

4 

Total  segregations  of  irrigable  lands. 

Acres. 

Snake  River  Basin n,  057, 360 

Bear  Eiver 2, 085, 320 

Upper  Missouri  and  Yellowstone 11, 133, 440 

Owens  River  Valley 519, 000 

Rio  Grande  Valley 5, 760, 000 

Total 30, 565, 120 

The  maps  referred  to  in  this  report  are  borne  in  Part  I— the  Annual 
Report  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey. 

J.  W.  POWELL, 

Director. 


IRRIGATION  SURVEY-FIRST  ANNUAL  REPORT. 


BY  J.  W.  POWELL,  DIRECTOR. 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  IRRIGATION  SURVEY. 

In  making  this  the  first  report  of  the  operations  of  the  Irri- 
gation Survey  it  seems  proper  to  give  a  brief  history  of  its 
origin  by  Congressional  enactment. 

In  response  to  Senate  resolution  of  February  13,  1888,  re- 
lating to  the  segregation  of  lands  of  the  public  domain  capable 
of  irrigation  in  sections  of  the  United  States  where  irrigation 
is  required,  and  to  places  to  be  reserved  for  reservoirs  and 
rights  of  way  for  ditches  and  canals,  the  following  letters  were 
transmitted : 

DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR, 

Washington,  March  31,  1888. 

SIR:  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  receipt  of  a  resolution  of  the 
Senate  passed  on  the  13th  of  February,  1888,  of  which  the  following 
is  a  copy: 

Resolved,  That  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  be  requested  to  inform  the  Senate  if, 
in  his  opinion,  it  is  desirable  to  authorize  the  organization  in  his  Department  known 
as  the  Geological  Survey  to  segregate  lands  of  the  public  domain  capable  of  irriga- 
tion in  the  sections  of  the  United  States  where  irrigation  is  required  from  other 
lands,  and  to  lay  out  suitable  places  to  be  reserved  for  reservoirs,  and  rights  of  way 
for  ditches  and  canals,  for  the  purposes  of  irrigation. 

And  in  response  thereto  to  transmit  a  copy  of  a  communication 
from  the  Commissioner  of  the  General  Land  Office,  under  date  of 
February  20,  to  whom  the  matter  was  referred,  and  a  copy  of  a  com- 
munication from  the  Director  of  the  Geological  Survey,  under  date 
of  March  13,  to  whom  the  matter  was  also  referred,  expressing  the 
views  of  those  officers  upon  the  subject. 

And,  further,  to  say  that  it  has  been  hitherto  impossible  for  me  to 
secure  a  sufficient  opportunity  for  examination  and  study  to  authorize 
me  to  comply  with  the  direction  of  the  resolution  for  an  expression 
of  opinion  beyond  what  is  here  submitted,  although,  in  obedience  to 

10  GEOL.,  PT.    2 1  1 


Z  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

that  direction,  I  have  sought  to  qualify  myself  in  some  measure,  how- 
ever imperfectly,  to  comply  with  it.  It  appears  from  the  communi- 
cation of  the  Director,  as,  indeed,  must  readily  occur  to  intelligent 
reflection,  that  the  subject  involves  vast  areas  of  territory,  manifold 
public  and  private  interests,  and  far-reaching  considerations  touch- 
ing results  and  costs;  and  also  that  each  separate  instance  of  contem- 
plated action  involves  peculiar  and  special  inquiries  and  determina- 
tions, so  that,  although  the  general  desirability  of  so  comprehensive 
and  effective  a  system  of  irrigation  as  Government  alone  can  insti- 
tute and  carry  to  completion  may  be  readily  affirmed,  a  particular 
designation  of  what  lands  may  be  segregated  and  what  means  may 
be  employed  to  accomplish  any  result  must  be  the  fruit  of  distinct 
and  particular  inquiry  in  each  case. 

It  is  believed  to  be  possible,  by  an  undertaking  on  a  scale  of  ade- 
quate grandeur,  to  seize  the  waters  of  the  Missouri  and  its  tributa- 
ries at  a  proper  distance  from  their  sources,  and  not  only  to  apply 
them  to  the  reclamation  of  arid  lands  in  the  upper  region,  but  there- 
by also  to  benefit  the  agricultural  territories  adjacent  to  its  lower 
currents,  and  even  to  mitigate  the  severity  of  the  effects  of  the  floods 
of  the  Mississippi  upon  the  agricultural  lands  of  its  borders.  Or 
some  lesser  river  may  be  restrained  of  its  natural  flow  and  its  waters 
applied  only  to  the  advantage  of  the  desert  wastes  lying  in  the  par- 
ticular valley  through  which  it  runs.  Since  the  adoption  of  the  fore- 
going resolution,  and  probably  from  a  contemplation  of  these  con- 
siderations, a  joint  resolution  has  been  passed  and  approved,  directing 
this  Department,  "by  means  of  the  Director  of  the  Geological  Sur- 
vey "— 

to  make  an  examination  of  that  portion  of  the  arid  regions  of  the  United  States 
where  agriculture  is  carried  on  by  means  of  irrigation,  as  to  the  natural  advantages 
for  the  storage  of  water  for  irrigating  purposes,  with  the  practicability  of  construct- 
ing reservoirs,  together  with  the  capacity  of  the  streams  and  the  cost  of  construc- 
tion and  capacity  of  reservoirs,  and  such  other  facts  as  bear  on  the  question  of  stor- 
age of  water  for  irrigating  purposes. 

And  another  resolution  has  been  adopted  by  the  Senate  directing 
this  Department  to  report  what  appropriation  may  be  necessary  to 
enable  the  examination  so  directed  to  be  made,  and  also — 

to  classify  the  public  lands  and  furnish  a  map  or  maps  showing  the  various  divis- 
ions of  the  public  domain  suitable  for  agricultural,  mineral  and  other  purposes, 
and  particularly  to  s?gregate  the  lands  susceptible  of  irrigation,  where  irrigation  is 
required,  from  other  lands,  and  designating  places  for  reservoirs,  canals  and  other 
hydraulic  works. 

In  accordance  with  the  latter .  resolution  a  careful  estimation  of 
the  appropriation  which  may  be  deemed  necessary  is  in  progress, 
and  will  be  submitted  at  the  earliest  practicable  date  to  the  Senate 
in  obedience  thereto. 

When  the  products  of  this  inquiry  shall  be  at  command,  it  may  be 
anticipated  that  there  will  be  disclosed  a  proper  opportunity  for  an 


ORIGIN    OF    THE    IRRIGATION    SURVEY. 

experimental  attempt  to  establish  in  some  region  of  the  country  such 
a  system  of  storage  of  water  supply  and  of  canals  and  other  con- 
duits for  irrigation  as  shall  afford  a  practical  solution  of  the  merits 
and  advantages  of  governmental  interposition  of  this  nature.  With- 
out such  particular  information  it  seems  to  be  obvious  that  nothing 
can  be  advantageously  ventured  in  the  way  of  opinion,  tit  least  in 
any  useful  detail;  and  I  respectfully  request  the  acceptance  of  the 
accompanying  communications  as  a  discharge  of  the  obligation  of 
the  resolution  of  the  Senate. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

WM.  F.  VILAS, 

Secretary. 
Hon.  JOHN  J.  INGALLS, 

President  pro  tempore  of  the  Senate. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR, 

GENERAL  LAND  OFFICE, 
Washington,  D.  C.,  February  20,  1888. 

SIR  :  I  am  in  receipt  of  Senate  resolution  of  February  13, 1888,  re- 
questing the  honorable  Secretary  of  the  Interior  to  inform  the  Senate 
if,  in  his  opinion,  it  is  desirable  to  authorize  the  organization  in  his 
Department  known  as  the  Geological  Survey  to  segregate  lands  of 
the  public  domain  capable  of  irrigation  in  the  sections  of  the  United 
States  where  irrigation  is  required,  from  other  lands,  and  to  lay  out 
suitable  places  to  be  reserved  for  reservoirs  and  rights  of  way  for 
ditches  and  canals,  for  the  purposes  of  irrigation.  Said  resolution 
was,  on  February  14,  1888,  referred  to  this  office,  for  report  in  dupli- 
cate arid  return  of  papers,  by  Hon.  D.  L.  Hawkins,  Assistant  Secre- 
tary. 

At  present  I  am  not  fully  informed  as  to  the  extent  and  exact  loca- 
tions of  all  lands  the  survey  and  segregation  of  which  is  contemplated 
by  the  resolution,  nor  have  I  definite  means  of  ascertaining  the  ex- 
pense attendant  on  such  work,  nor  do  I  suppose  that  accurate  infor- 
mation could  be  obtained  as  to  these  matters  in  time  for  the  action  of 
Congress  at  the  present  session.  Whilst  it  may  be  desirable  that 
legislation  of  the  character  contemplated  by  the  resolution  should  be 
had  in  the  future,  at  the  present  I  am  unable  to  see  any  urgent  neces- 
sity for  it. 

Very  respectfully, 

S.  M.  STOCKSLAGER, 

Acting  Commissioner. 
Hon.  WM.  F.  VILAS, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior, 


4  IRRIGATION  SURVEY FIRST  ANNUAL  REPORT. 

DEPARTMENT  OP  THE  INTERIOR, 
UNITED  STATES  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY, 

Washington,  D.  C.,  March  13,  1888. 

SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt,  by  reference  of 
the  Hon.  D.  L.  Hawkins,  Assistant  Secretary,  of  the  following  reso- 
lution : 

IN  THE  SENATE  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES, 

February  13,  1888. 

Resolved,  That  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  be  requested  to  inform  the  Senate  if, 
in  his  opinion,  it  is  desirable  to  authorize  the  organization  in  his  Department  known 
as  the  Geological  Survey  to  segregate  lands  of  the  public  domain  capable  of  irriga- 
tion in  the  sections  of  the  United  States  where  irrigation  is  required,  from  other 
lands,  and  to  lay  out  suitable  places  to  be  reserved  for  reservoirs,  and  rights  of  way 
for  ditches  and  canals,  for  the  purposes  of  irrigation. 

Attest : 

ANSON  G.  McCooK, 

Secretary. 

* 
The  above  resolution  was  indorsed  as  follows  : 

Respectfully  referred  to  Director  of  Geological  Survey  for  early  report,  in  dupli- 
cate, with  such  information  as  is  in  possession  of  his  Bureau,  and  return  of  the 
papers. 

In  compliance  with  these  instructions,  I  have  the  honor  to  submit 
the  following  statement : 

Ten  years  ago  a  "  Report  on  the  Lands  of  the  Arid  Region  "  was 
submitted  to  the  Commissioner  of  Public  Lands  by  myself,  which 
report  was  illustrated  by  specific  data  in  regard  to  the  lands  of  Utah. 
The  conclusions  therein  set  forth  have  not  been  materially  modified 
by  the  developments  of  the  last  ten  years,  although  during  this  time 
agriculture  has  been  greatly  extended  in  the  arid  region,  and  the 
industrial  problems  involved  have  been  seriously  attacked  by  the 
State  governments  of  Colorado  and  California. 

The  region  in  which  agriculture  depends  on  irrigation  includes 
about  four-tenths  of  the  entire  area  of  the  United  States,  not  includ- 
ing Alaska.  Much  of  this  region  is  mountainous,  and  there  are  ex- 
tensive districts  through  which  streams  flow  only  in  deep  gorges, 
whence  they  can  not  be  raised  for  purposes  of  agriculture.  In  the 
more  level  districts  the  supply  of  water  is  so  limited  that  only  a  small 
percentage  of  the  land  can  be  irrigated  ;  and  it  is  in  general  true  that 
there  is  a  wide  range  for  choice  as  to  the  particular  tract  or  tracts  of 
land  to  which  the  waters  of  the  several  streams  may  be  delivered. 

At  the  present  time  the  greater  number  of  the  small  streams  are 
utilized  for  irrigation,  so  far  as  is  possible,  without  the  storage  of 
water ;  that  is  to  say,  the  ordinary  flow  of  water  of  the  smaller 
streams  during  the  season  of  growing  crops  is  diverted  by  canals 
from  the  natural  channels  and  served  to  the  land. 

The  future  development  of  irrigation  chiefly  depends  : 

First.  On  the  utilization  of  the  larger  streams.     These  have  here- 


ORIGIN    OF    THE    IRRIGATION    SURVEY.  5 

tofore  been  largely  unused  from  the  fact  that  great  capital  or  exten- 
sive cooperative  industry  is  required. 

Second.  On  the  construction  of  storage  basins.  In  most  portions 
of  the  United  States  the  season  of  growing  crops  is  short  compared 
with  the  entire  year,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  irrigation  works 
heretofore  constructed  utilize  the  water  only  through  the  growing 
season,  and  the  extra-seasonal  water  is  allowed  to  run  to  waste. 

Third.  On  the  construction  of  storm- water  reservoirs.  Throughout 
the  irrigable  area  of  the  arid  region  there  are  great  numbers  of  small 
catchment  basins  through  which  no  perennial  waters  flow,  but  within 
which  the  storm-waters  may  be  gathered  and  stored  in  reservoirs,  to 
be  utilized  in  the  season  of  growing  crops. 

Fourth.  On  controlling  the  entire  flow  of  the  smaller  streams 
through  the  irrigating  season.  A  portion  of  these  waters  now  runs 
to  waste. 

The  increase  of  irrigation  by  the  fourth  method  depends  upon  a 
better  selection  of  sites  for  head  works,  and  on  better  methods  of  con- 
struction, and  on  better  canal  systems,  and  the  subject  needs  no 
further  mention  here. 

In  the  third  method  of  increasing  the  area  of  irrigation,  by  the  use 
of  storm-water  reservoirs,  it  must  be  noticed  that  every  catchment 
area  must  necessarily  be  small  and  the  reservoir  comparatively  small. 
The  area  drained  must  be  correspondingly  small.  These  enterprises, 
therefore,  are  severally  of  no  great  magnitude ;  they  require  the 
ownership  or  joint  control  of  but  small  areas  of  land.  The  works  to 
be  constructed  are  comparatively  inexpensive,  and  they  may  there- 
fore be  relegated  to  individual  enterprise,  cooperative  enterprise,  or 
corporate  enterprise. 

The  utilization  of  the  extra-seasonal  water  of  perennial  streams  can 
be  effected  only  by  the  aid  of  storage  reservoirs,  and  it  will  be  found 
economic  to  construct  such  in  great  numbers  throughout  the  region, 
and  the  acreage  of  farming  land  will  be  vastly  increased  thereby. 
There  are  a  few  favored  valleys  lying  at  the  foot  of  very  high  mount- 
ains which  receive  water  from  the  melting  snows  on  the  mountains 
at  a  season  when  it  can  be  utilized  for  agriculture,  but  in  most 
localities  the  snows  melt  too  «arly,  and  their  unstored  water  flows  by 
as  waste.  In  such  cases  the  waste  water  is  many  times  greater  than  the 
water  flowing  during  the  farming  season,  and  its  storage  will  corre- 
spondingly increase  the  amount  available  for  agriculture. 

A  great  development  of  irrigation  will  come  from  the  use  of  the 
large  streams,  and  for  this  cooperative  labor  or  capital  is  necessary. 
Such  streams  can  be  economically  controlled  only  for  the  irrigation 
of  large  bodies  of  land,  and  their  handling  has  been  retarded  by  the 
fact  that  the  statutes  do  not  provide  for  large  holdings. 

It  is  recognized  as  important  that  the  title  to  water  shall  vest  in 
that  land  to  which  under  the  most  economical  distribution  for  agri- 


6  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

cultural  purposes  it  belongs.  It  is  necessary  that  the  holders  of  the 
land  shall  combine  for  the  construction  of  headworks  and  canals. 
But  the  individual  can  not  afford  to  secure  title  to  a  small  holding 
without  the  assurance  of  ability  to  irrigate  it,  and  he  can  not  irrigate 
but  by  combining  with  others.  Hence  it  is  that  the  utilization  of  the 
large  streams  by  owners  of  small  tracts  must  wait  until  large  num- 
bers of  the  holders  of  small  tracts  can  be  induced  to  settle  simulta- 
neously upon  the  lands  to  be  irrigated,  and  be  further  induced  to 
engage  in  the  corporate  or  cooperative  enterprise  necessary  to  con- 
struct great  headworks  a*nd  canals.  In  view  of  these  difficulties, 
special  provisions  appear  to-be  necessary. 

The  determination  of  the  particular  tracts  of  land  to  be  irrigated, 
either  from  great  reservoirs  or  by  the  utilization  of  great  streams, 
is  controlled  by  several  important  considerations.  Within  the  range 
of  country  to  which  it  is  physically  possible  to  convey  the  water  of 
a  stream,  some  tracts  are  more  favored  in  respect  to  climate,  others 
in  respect  to  soil,  others  in  respect  to  economy  in  the  construction 
and  maintenance  of  headworks  and  canals,  others  in  the  conserva- 
tion of  water  from  evaporation  and  from  seepage  in  canals,  and 
others  in  respect  to  facilities  of  transportation. 

It  is  also  necessary,  in  order  to  preserve  the  proper  amount  of  land 
for  irrigation,  to  determine  in  each  case  the  maximum  amount  of 
water  which  can  be  economically  served  by  the  aid  of  storage  reser- 
voirs and  the  utilization  of  great  streams,  and  the  minimum  allow- 
ance which,  with  the  particular  climate  and  soil,  will  serve  a  unit  of 
land.  The  selection  of  tracts,  therefore,  demands  wise  discrimina- 
tion, and  can  not  be  advantageously  accomplished  under  the  system 
of  contract  surveys. 

It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  the  greater  the  delay  in  the  selection  of 
areas  for  irrigation  and  of  sites  for  irrigation  headworks  the  greater 
will  be  the  knowledge  which  can  be  brought  to  bear  in  making  wise 
selections ;  but  it  is  also  true  that  the  greater  the  delay  the  more 
complex  becomes  the  practical  problem  by  reason  of  the  inter- 
ference of  vested  rights.  The  difficulties  arising  from  vested  rights 
far  outweigh,  in  my  judgment,  all  considerations  in  favor  of  delay, 
and  there  is  even  ground  for  regret  that  such  surveys  and  selections 
as  are  now  proposed  were  not  instituted  at  an  earlier  stage  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  arid  region. 

The  obstructing  vested  rigltts  may  be  considered  as  agricultural 
and  non-agricultural.  Obstructing  agricultural  rights  arise  in  con- 
nection with  irrigation  by  the  water  of  small  streams.  It  frequently 
occurs  that  a  comprehensive  system  of  irrigation  in  the  basin  of  a 
river — a  system  adjusted  to  the  utilization  of  the  water  to  its  greatest 
extent — will  spread  the  water  of  the  main  stream  over  lower  land 
and  the  water  of  smaller  tributaries  over  higher  land;  but  as  in  the 
unsystematic  development  of  irrigation  the  small  streams  are  first 


ORIGIN    OF    THE    IRRIGATION    SURVEY.  7 

utilized,  their  water  is  often  applied  to  the  lower  land,  and  the 
water  rights  and  land  rights  thus  established  obstruct  the  institution 
of  the  best  general  system. 

Obstructing  non-agricultural  vested  rights  are  largely  those  of 
pasturage,  mining  and  transportation ;  and  these  obstruct  chiefly 
the  sites  for  reservoirs  and  other  headworks,  including  trunk  canals. 
The  range  of  choice  for  the  selection  of  irrigation  areas  is  usually  so 
great  that  such  preoccupation  as  arises  in  connection  with  mining 
and  transportation  industries  does  not  occasion  serious  interference. 
Preoccupation  of  arable  land  for  purposes  of  pasturage  does  not  ob- 
struct the  development  of  irrigation,  because  the  bringing  of  land 
under  irrigation  canals  so  greatly  enhances  its  value  that  pasturage 
yields  at  once  to  agriculture.  Obstruction  through  the  industry  of 
pasturage  arises  chiefly  from  the  location  of  stock  ranges  on  sites 
suitable  for  storage  reservoirs. 

The  development  of  the  agriculture  of  the  arid  region  is  of  national 
importance  in  itself.  From  the  fact  that  the  area  in  which  irrigation 
is  necessary  is  so  great,  the  total  area  to  be  irrigated  will  be  great ; 
again,  the  gold  and  silver  product  of  the  region  will  increase  when 
mining  ceases  to  be  handicapped  by  expensive  subsistence. 

The  development  of  irrigation  along  the  base  of  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains is  of  double  importance  because  of  its  influence  on  the  agricult- 
ure of  the  Lower  Mississippi.  To  store  up  the  water  of  the  Missouri 
and  its  main  affluents  for  the  purpose  of  irrigation  is  to  diminish  the 
volume  of  that  flood  of  the  Lower  Mississippi  which  is  most  destruc- 
tive by  reason  of  its  occurring  in  the  heart  of  the  farming  season. 
Moreover,  the  great  difficulty  of  the  problem  of  the  Lower  Missis- 
sippi arises  from  the  fact  that  the  river  normally  makes  a  deposit 
there,  thus  clogging  its  course  and  giving  to  its  channel  an  unstable 
position.  The  principal  source  of  the  sediment  is  the  Missouri  River, 
and  it  is  carried  forward  chiefly  during  flood.  With  abolition  of 
great  Missouri  floods  the  sedimentary  load  of  the  Lower  Mississippi 
would  be  diminished,  and  the  scouring  power  of  the  less-loaded  floods 
from  the  Ohio  and  the  Upper  Mississippi  would  establish  for  the 
Lower  Mississippi  a  lower  grade  and  a  deeper  channel.  For  every 
acre  reclaimed  to  agriculture  in  Montana  another  acre  will  be  re- 
claimed in  Louisiana ;  and,  in  general,  all  lands  redeemed  by  irriga- 
tion on  the  Great  Plains  will  be  equaled  by  the  lands  redeemed  from 
floods  in  the  great  valley  of  the  Lower  Mississippi. 

The  topographic  work  of  the  Geological  Survey  in  the  arid  regions 
has  from  the  first  been  executed  with  a  view  to  the  problems  of  irri- 
gation, and  if  such  authority  as  is  contemplated  by  the  resolution 
shall  be  given  to  the  Survey,  the  maps  now  completed  and  in  prep- 
aration will  serve  as  a  basis  for  the  special  work  required  in  respect 
to  irrigation.  It  will  be  necessary  in  addition  to  make  local  surveys 
for  the  selection  of  sites  for  reservoirs,  canals,  etc.,  and  of  irrigation 


8  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

areas.  It  will  be  necessary  also  to  gauge  a  certain  number  of  repre- 
sentative streams  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  so  as  to  ascertain  their 
total  discharge  and  its  seasonal  distribution,  and  also  to  gauge  a 
greater  number  of  streams  at  certain  seasons  determined  to  be 
critical. 

The  district  for  which  the  fundamental  topographic  work  has 
already  been  accomplished  amounts  to  120,000  square  miles,  about  10 
per  cent,  of  the  entire  arid  region.  The  geographic  surveys  by 
earlier  organizations,  covering  405,000  square  miles,  were  made  with 
less  detail  and  less  reference  to  the  problems  of  irrigation,  but  they 
will  serve  the  purpose  of  a  reconnaissance. 

In  extending  the  geographic  work  of  the  Geological  Survey  over 
the  portion  of  the  arid  region  not  yet  covered  by  it,  it  will  be  eco- 
nomical to  give  to  the  topographic  work  a  special  adjustment  in  the 
'interest  of  irrigation. 

The  Senate  resolution  and  other  papers  are  returned  herewith. 
I  am,  with  great  respect,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  W.  POWELL, 
Director. 

The  SECRETARY  OP  THE  INTERIOR. 


In  response  to  Senate  resolution  of  March  27,  1888,  relative 
to  reservoirs  for  the  storage  of  water  in  the  arid  region  of  the 
United  States,  the  following  letters  were  transmitted : 

DEPARTMENT  OP  THE  INTERIOR, 

Washington,  May  11, 1888. 

SIR:  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  a  resolution 
of  the  Senate  dated  March  27,  1888,  as  follows: 

Resolved,  That  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  is  hereby  directed  to  report  to  the 
Senate  what  appropriation  is  necessary  to  enable  the  United  States  Geological  Sur- 
vey to  carry  into  effect  the  joint  resolution  "  Directing  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior, 
by  means  of  the  Geological  Survey,  to  investigate  the  practicability  of  construct- 
ing reservoirs  for  the  storage  of  water  in  the  arid  region  of  the  United  States,  and 
to  report  to  Congress,"  approved  March  20,  1888,  and  the  several  acts  of  Congress 
requiring  such  Geological  Survey,  under  the  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  the  In- 
terior, to  classify  the  public  lands  and  furnish  a  map  or  maps  showing  the  various 
divisions  of  the  public  domain  suitable  for  agricultural,  mineral  and  other  purposes; 
and  particularly  to  segregate  the  lands  susceptible  of  irrigation,  where  irrigation  is 
required,  from  other  lands,  and  designating  places  for  reservoirs,  canals,  and  other 
hydraulic  works. 

In  response  thereto  I  transmit  herewith  a  report  from  the  Director 
of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  embodying  his  views  as  to  the  method 
of  conducting  the  required  investigation,  and  recommending  that 
an  appropriation  of  $250,000  be  made  for  the  purpose.  I  have  no 


ORGANIZATION    OF   THE    IRRIGATION    SURVEY.  9 

means  to  make  any  estimate  other  than  the  considerations  presented 
by  the  Director.     The  examinations  and  study  made  by  him  have 
necessarily  caused  a  delay  in   making-  response  to  the  resolution, 
which  has  been  due  to  no  other  reason. 
Very  respectfully, 

WM.  F.  VILAS, 

Secretary. 
The  PRESIDENT  PRO  TEMPORE  OF  THE  SENATE. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR, 

U.  S.  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY, 

Washington,  D.  C.,  May  3,  1888. 

SIR:  On  the  27th  of  March,  1888,  the  following  resolution  of  the 
United  States  Senate  was  transmitted  by  Anson  G.  McCook,  Secre- 
tary of  the  Senate,  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior: 

IN  THE  SENATE  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES, 

March  27,  1888. 

Resolved,  That  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  is  hereby  directed  to  report  to  the 
Senate  what  appropriation  is  necessary  to  enable  the  United  States  Geological  Sur- 
vey to  carry  into  effect  the  joint  resolution  "  Directing  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior 
by  means  of  the  Geological  Survey  to  investigate  the  practicability  of  constructing 
reservoirs  for  the  storage  of  water  in  the  arid  region  of  the  United  States  and  to  re- 
port to  Congress,"  approved  March  20, 1888,  and  the  several  acts  of  Congress  requir- 
ing such  Geological  Survey,  under  the  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  to 
classify  the  public  lands  and  furnish  a  map  or  maps  showing  the  various  divisions 
of  the  public  domain  suitable  for  agricultural,  mineral  and  other  purposes:  and 
particularly  to  segregate  the  lands  susceptible  of  irrigation,  where  irrigation  is  re- 
quired, from  other  lands,  and  designating  places  for  reservoirs,  canals,  and  other 
hydraulic  works. 

Attest:  ANSON  G.  McCooK, 

Secretary. 

On  the  29th  day  of  March  this  resolution  was  referred  to  the  Direc- 
tor of  the  Geological  Survey  with  the  following  indorsement: 

DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR, 

March  29,  1888. 

Respectfully  referred  to  the  Director  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  for  report. 

WM.  F.  VILAS, 

Secretary. 

In  reply  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  statement: 
The  portion  of  the  United  States  in  which  agriculture  will  be  car- 
ried on  only  by  the  aid  of  irrigation  may  be  broadly  designated  as 
that  portion  lying  west  of  the  one-hundredth  meridian.  Certain 
lands  contiguous  to  rivers  can  be  advantageously  irrigated  several 
degrees  east  of  that  line;  and  somewhat  west  of  that  line  there  are 
high  plain  lands  to  which  it  will  not  be  economic  to  convey  water, 


10  IREIGATION    SURVEY — FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

lout  which,  will  nevertheless  afford  a  moderate  return  to  cultivation. 
In  the  western  part  of  Oregon  and  the  greater  part  of  Washington 
agricultural  lands  do  not  require  irrigation,  and  there  are  a  few 
other  exceptional  spots.  The  extent  of  the  region  in  which  agricult- 
ure depends  on  irrigation  is  about  1,300,000  square  miles. 

In  the  same  region  there  are  also  great  areas  of  mineral  lands,  tim- 
ber lands  and  pasturage  lands  still  belonging  to  the  public  domain. 

The  general  survey,  topographic  and  geologic,  to  serve  as  a  basis 
for  the  classification  of  these  lands,  is  being  made  by  the  Geolog- 
ical Survey  with  such  rate  of  progress  as  appropriations  permit, 
due  consideration  being  had  for  the  interests  and  requirements  of 
the  remaining  portion  of  the  United  States  to  which  the  work  of 
the  organization  has  been  extended  by  statute.  The  topographic 
work  includes  the  indication  of  forested  areas,  and  the  geologic 
work  includes  the  indication  of  mineral  lands,  but  the  discrimina- 
tion of  irrigable  from  pasturage  lands  requires  such  careful  con- 
sideration of  details  that  special  local  surveys  are  needed  for  this 
purpose. 

There  are  certain  streams  which  furnish  more  water  than  is  needed 
by  the  lands  to  which  they  can  be  made  tributary,  and  these  offer 
relatively  simple  problems.  Those  of  a  second  class  can  supply  with 
irrigation  water  only  a  fraction  of  the  available  land,  and  the  par- 
ticular land  must  be  selected  through  the  weighing  of  considera- 
tions somewhat  numerous  and  varied.  In  the  third  class,  by  far  the 
most  numerous  and  important,  part  of  the  land  available  for  one 
stream  is  also  available  for  other  streams,  so  that  a  wise  selection 
can  be  made  only  by  considering  a  group  of  streams  conjointly. 

To  determine  for  a  given  stream,  or  for  a  given  group  of  streams 
treated  collectively,  first,  the  maximum  area  of  farming  land  and  its 
most  advantageous  selection;  second,  the  best  selection  of  sites  for 
reservoirs  and  their  proper  size;  and,  third,  the  best  system  of  head- 
works  and  canals,  there  are  three  general  requisites,  as  follows: 

(a)  The  construction  of  an  accurate  topographic  map,  with  grade 
curves  at  such  intervals  as  will  properly  represent  the  configuration 
of  the  ground. 

(6)  The  determination  of  the  total  annual  discharge  of  water  from 
the  catchment  basin,  or  where  there  are  more  than  one  from  each 
catchment  basin,  and  the  distribution  through  the  year  of  that  dis- 
charge. 

(c)  An  examination  of  the  soils  in  the  area  from  which,  under 
existing  topographic  conditions,  the  selection  of  land  for  irrigation 
must  be  made. 

For  the  solution  of  the  practical  problems  that  must  arise  in  the 
progress  of  the  work  thus  indicated,  a  large  body  of  general  knowl- 
edge is  necessary,  a  part  of  which  is  contained  in  existing  records. 
Irrigation  has  been  practiced  for  many  centuries  in  Europe,  Asia, 


ORGANIZATION    OF   THE    IRRIGATION    SURVEY.  11 

Africa  and  America,  and  has  been  made  the  subject  of  elaborate 
scientific  investigation,  so  that  the  literature  of  the  subject  consti- 
tutes a  large  library.  A  second  body  of  knowledge  must  be  derived 
by  the  collation  of  the  experience  of  irrigators  and  irrigation  engi- 
neers in  our  own  arid  region,  an  experience  for  the  most  part  not 
recorded  in  print.  A  third  body  of  information,  local  as  compared 
with  foreign  data,  but  general  when  considered  with  reference  to 
individual  streams,  must  be  derived  by  direct  observation  and 
experimentation  in  various  parts  of  our  arid  region.  Some  of  the 
categories  of  this  general  knowledge  may  be  indicated  in  the  follow- 
ing manner: 

(1)  The  rate  of  evaporation  from  the  surface  of  water  in  reservoirs, 
canals,  etc. ,  should  be  determined  for  the  different  districts  of  the 
arid  region  and  for  different  months. 

(2)  The  rate  of  seepage  from  reservoirs  and  canals  must  be  investi- 
gated, as  well  as  the  means  by  which  and  the  extent  to  which  it  can 
be  diminished.      These  factors  vary  greatly  with  different  soils  and 
with  water  from  different  sources,  and  can  be  best  determined  by 
the  collation  of  experience,  with  some  supplementary  experimenta- 
tion on  existing  irrigation  works. 

(3)  The  clogging  of  reservoirs  with  detritus  by  the  streams  must 
be  investigated.     It  is  already  known  that  the  most  diverse  results 
have  been  experienced  with  different  streams,  and  the  laws  of  stream 
action  on  which  this  diversity  depends  need  to  be  developed,  so  as 
to  permit  their  general  application  to  the  problem  of  the  selection  of 
reservoir  sites. 

(4)  Experience  must  be  collated  with  reference  to  the  agricultural 
results  obtained  with  irrigation  from  the  various  soils  and  with  crops 
of  different  kinds. 

(5)  The  "  duty  of  water,"  or  the  area  of  land  which  maybe  served 
by  a  unit  of  water,  must  be  determined  for  the  various  soils  and  crops 
and  for  the  various  climates  involved.      Under  this  head  must  be 
considered  also  the  subterranean  return  of  part  of  the  irrigation 
water  to  the  drainage  channel,  and  its  redi version  at  lower  levels. 

(6)  Consideration  must  be  given  to  the  washing  of  surplus  salts 
from  alkaline  lands,  as  well  as  to  the  tendency  to  the  injurious  accu- 
mulation of  salts  in  irrigated  lands  and  the  means  for  its  preven- 
tion. 

(7)  In  the  case  of  long  streams  flowing  past  bodies  of  arable  land 
affected  by  different  climates,  the   peculiarities  of    climate,  with 
especial  reference  to  frost,  must  be  determined. 

(8)  Experience  must  be  collated  with  reference  to  the  cost  of  con- 
struction and  maintenance  of  reservoirs  and  other  head-works  and 
of  canals.     The  experience  of  other  lands  is  but  partially  applicable, 
because  the  cost  in  every  case  must  depend  upon  the  value  of  labor 
and  the  nature  of  the  available  materials. 


12  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

(9)  Statistics  must  be  gathered  as  to  the  value  of  irrigation  lands 
and  the  changes  in  such  value  depending  on  progressive  increase  in 
population,  transportation  facilities,  etc. 

(10)  Vested  rights  must  be  considered. 

Thus  it  is  that  in  the  selection  of  sites  and  locations  for  the  dams, 
reservoirs,  canals  and  irrigation  areas,  constituting  together  an  irri- 
gation system,  account  must  be  taken  of  the  total  volume  of  water 
susceptible  of  storage,  of  the  loss  through  evaporation  and  seepage  in 
reservoirs  and  canals,  of  the  local  duty  of  water,  of  the  value  of  the 
redeemed  land  for  the  growth  of  the  crops  adapted  to  the  climate  and 
soil,  of  the  expense  for  construction  of  irrigation  works  and  the 
interest  on  the  same,  of  the  expense  of  their  maintenance,  of  the  de- 
terioration of  reservoirs  by  clogging  with  debris,  and  of  vested  rights 
if  any  exist;  and  all  these  must  be  considered  in  connection  with  the 
topographic  configuration. 

In  view  of  these  various  considerations,  and  also  of  the  importance 
to  the  agriculture  of  the  arid  region  of  immediate  results,  it  is  deemed 
desirable  to  organize  the  work,  first,  by  undertaking  immediately  the 
local  investigation  of  a  number  of  drainage  districts  in  different  parts 
of  the  country  where  different  conditions  prevail;  and  second,  by  in- 
stituting a  general  inquiry  and  a  general  system  of  observations  for 
the  acquirement  of  the  information  demanded  by  the  practical  prob- 
lems. 

The  local  work  for  each  irrigation  district  will  consist,  first,  of  the 
preparation  of  a  topographic  map  with  the  necessary  detail;  second, 
of  the  examination  of  physical  features  in  reference  to  the  storage  of 
water,  and  the  estimation  of  cost  and  capacity  of  reservoirs  at  one  or 
more  sites;  third,  of  the  classification  of  the  soils  within  the  area  to 
which  the  water  may  be  diverted;  and  fourth,  of  the  measurement  of 
the  water  supply.  The  most  important  of  these,  and  the  one  which 
will  involve  the  greater  part  of  the  expense,  is  the  construction  of  the 
map;  but  the  measurement  of  the  water  should  be  begun  as  early  as 
possible  for  the  reason  that  the  observations  of  at  least  two  years  are 
needed  as  groundwork  for  determining  the  extent  of  irrigable  land 
and  the  general  magnitude  of  the  irrigation  system.  After  the  first 
year,  gauging  stations  should  be  established  in  advance  of  other  ele- 
ments of  local  survey.  At  each  station  the  rate  of  discharge  for 
various  water  stages  should  be  determined  by  measurement,  and  the 
stage  of  water  observed  daily  or  at  short  intervals  during  the  year. 

To  acquire  the  necessary  general  knowledge  a  study  should  be  made 
of  the  existing  irrigation  of  the  various  districts  of  the  country,  atten- 
tion being  given  to  methods,  costs,  values,  and  agricultural  results;  and 
there  should  also  be  instituted  at  various  selected  points  series  of  ob- 
servations on  evaporations. 

With  reference  to  the  amount  of  money  that  should  be  appropriated 
to  the  proposed  work,  it  is  proper  to  take  account  of  the  magnitude 


ORGANIZATION    OF   THE    IRRIGATION    SURVEY.  13 

and  national  importance  of  the  agricultural  industry  to  be  based  on 
irrigation,  and  also  of  the  economic  loss  entailed  by  delay. 

As  estimated  above,  the  area  of  the  arid  region  is  about  1,300,000 
square  miles.  Of  this,  about  one-fifth  is  too  rugged  or  too  elevated 
to  admit  of  cultivation  under  any  condition  of  agriculture  likely  to 
arise  for  a  century  to  come.  A  smaller  fraction  consists  of  playas,  or 
drainless  desert  plains,  so  flat  that  it  is  impossible  to  wash  the  salts 
from  their  soils.  There  remain  about  1,000,000  square  miles  of  land 
which  need  only  water  to  be  rendered  productive.  At  the  minimum 
price  of  public  land,  $1.25  per  acre,  a  price  greater  than  its  value  for 
pasturage,  this  land  has  a  valuation  of  $800,000,000  ;  at  $30  per  acre, 
a  moderate  estimate  of  its  value  when  irrigated,  it  would  be  worth 
$19,200,000,000.  For  the  irrigation  of  this  area  we  have  the  annual 
precipitation  on  1,300, 000  square  miles  of  mountain,  valley,  and  plain. 
This  ranges  from  5  inches  or  less  on  the  dryest  plains  to  30  inches 
on  the  mountains,  and  even  75  or  100  inches  on  the  highest  peaks,  and 
the  average  for  the  whole  region  is  not  far  from  15  inches.  If  all  this 
could  be  applied  to  the  land  suited  by  configuration  for  cultivation,  it 
would  afford  about  20  inches  of  water  annually  for  the  whole  area,  or 
nearly  double  the  amount  which  need  be  applied  to  crops  during  the 
growing  season.  The  water  which  falls  in  the  arid  region  would  there- 
fore fully  meet  the  agricultural  needs  if  only  it  could  be  stored  until 
the  proper  season  and  then  conveyed  to  the  proper  land.  Unfortu- 
nately, many  causes  conspire  to  render  impossible  the  full  realiza- 
tion of  so  desirable  a  result. 

Of  the  precipitation,  which  has  the  form  of  snow,  a  large  fraction  is 
returned  to  the  air  by  evaporation  without  going  through  the  process 
of  melting.  Of  that  which  falls  as  rain  a  large  part  is  received  by  the 
soil  and  evaporated  from  it  without  gathering  in  streams,  and  the  only 
portion  of  such  unconcentrated  rain-fall  serviceable  for  agriculture  is 
that  which  falls  on  the  farming  land  during  the  growing  season.  Of 
the  water  from  rain  and  melted  snow  which  gathers  in  channels  and 
forms  streams,  only  a  portion  has  such  relation  to  arable  land  that  it 
can  be  utilized;  the  remainder  flows  too  low,  or  at  such  distance  from 
the  land  as  to  be  beyond  the  economic  limits  of  conveyance.  Moreover, 
a  comparatively  small  portion  of  the  stream  water  is  furnished  during 
the  farming  season,  and  that  which  must  be  stored  in  reservoirs  in 
order  to  utilize  it  necessarily  suffers  material  loss  by  evaporation. 

Under  such  adverse  conditions  it  is  manifest  that  only  a  small  por- 
tion of  the  rain-fall  of  the  region  can  be  made  to  serve  the  farmer,  and 
that  there  is  no  solid  foundation  for  the  opinion  sometimes  expressed 
that  the  greater  part  of  our  arid  West  will  ultimately  be  reclaimed. 
In  1880  less  than  1  per  cent,  of  its  arable  portion  had  been  supplied 
with  irrigation  water,  and  it  is  believed  that  with  the  most  elaborate 
irrigation  works  this  can  not  be  increased  to  more  than  20  per  cent. 
On  the  other  hand,  an  estimate  based  on  such  data  as  are  available 


14  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

leads  to  the  anticipation  that  when  all  the  larger  streams  have  been 
brought  under  control  and  the  storage  of  water  has  been  carried  as 
far  as  it  may  be  economically  there  will  be  redeemed  about  15  per 
cent  of  the  region,  or  150,000  square  miles,  comprising  an  area  which 
exceeds  one-half  of  the  land  now  cultivated  in  the  United  States.  At 
$30  per  acre  this  will  add  $2,880,000,000  to  the  wealth  of  the  nation. 

The  establishment  of  a  general  system  of  irrigation  on  a  compre- 
hensive plan  is  of  immediate  importance,  because  the  agriculture  of 
the  arid  region,  now  in  its  infancy,  is  rapidly  developing,  and  its  de- 
velopment without  suitable  regulation  constantly  involves  the  use  of 
temporary  plans  which  interfere  with  and  obstruct  the  adoption  of 
those  necessary  to  the  fullest  utilization  of  resources.  The  most  im- 
portant cases  of  interference  are  those  in  which  a  large  stream  trav- 
ersing the  center  of  a  valley  receives  small  affluents  from  the  lateral 
slopes.  It  is  matter  of  experience  that  when  irrigation  is  commenced 
without  regulation  the  small  streams,  being  most  readily  controlled, 
are  first  utilized,  and  their  water  is  conveyed  to  low-lying  land  ad- 
jacent to  the  stream.  In  a  comprehensive  system  this  land  is  served 
by  the  water  of  the  large  stream,  and  the  water  of  the  small  streams 
is  used  on  higher-lying  land,  to  which  that  of  the  large  can  not 
economically  be  conveyed.  But  the  utilization  of  the  small  streams 
in  connection  with  the  low  lands  creates  vested  rights  which  stand  in 
the  way  of  subsequent  regulation  in  the  interest  of  the  entire  district. 

In  view  of  the  magnitude  of  the  interests  involved,  and  of  the 
great  loss  entailed  By  delay,  the  surveys  necessary  as  a  basis  for  the 
establishment  of  a  comprehensive  system  of  irrigation  should  be 
pushed  with  all  the  rapidity  consistent  with  economy  in  their  con- 
duct. The  Geological  Survey  is  prepared  by  its  organization  and 
equipments,  and  by  the  special  training  of  many  of  its  engineers,  to 
begin  this  work  efficiently  on  a  limited  scale;  but  if  the  scale  were 
made  too  great  for  the  first  year  due  economy  could  not  be  secured. 

Impelled  by  these  considerations  I  respectfully  recommend  that 
an  appropriation  of  $250,000  be  made  for  the  first  year's  work,  and 
would  suggest  the  following  clause  for  the  appropriation  bill: 

For  the  purpose  of  investigating  the  extent  to  which  the  arid  region  of  the  United 
States  can  be  redeemed  by  irrigation,  and  the  segregation  of  the  irrigable  lands  in 
such  arid  region,  and  for  the  selection  of  sites  for  reservoirs  and  other  hydraulic 
works  necessary  for  the  storage  and  utilization  of  water  for  irrigation,  and  to  make 
the  necessary  maps,  including  the  pay  of  employes  in  field  and  in  office,  the  cost  of 
all  instruments,  apparatus  and  materials,  and  all  other  necessary  expenses  con- 
nected therewith,  the  work  to  be  performed  by  the  Geological  Survey,  under  the 
direction  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  the  sum  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars-. 

I  am,  with  great  respect,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  W.  POWELL, 

Director. 
The  SECRETARY  OP  THE  INTERIOR., 


PRELIMINARY    EEPOET.  15 

In  pursuance  of  law  the  following  preliminary  report  of 
the  Director  of  the  Geological  Survey  on  the  subject  of  irri- 
gation was  transmitted  to  Congress : 

DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR, 

Washington,  January  2,  1889. 

SIR  :  In  pursuance  of  the  requirements  of  the  act  making  appro- 
priations ' '  for  the  sundry  civil  expenses  of  the  Government  for  the 
fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1889,  and  for  other  purposes,"  approved 
October  2,  1888,  I  have  the  honor  herewith  to  transmit,  to  be  laid 
before  Congress,  a  report  of  the  Director  of  the  Geological  Survey 
on  the  organization  and  prosecution  of  the  survey  of  the  arid  lands 
for  purposes  of  irrigation,  and  also  his  letter  of  transmittal,  in  which 
is  submitted  an  estimate  for  the  continuance  of  the  work,  which, 
with  my  approval,  has  been  duly  transmitted  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  as  required  by  law. 

In  the  last  annual  report  of  this  Department  to  the  President,  which 
has  already  been  laid  before  the  Congress,  I  had  the  honor  to  submit 
briefly  the  expression  of  my  opinion  of  the  desirability  and  impor- 
tance of  prosecuting  the  investigating  surveys  begun  under  the  ap- 
propriation in  the  act  referred  to,  and  I  think  the  facts  exhibited  by 
the  report  now  presented  lend  additional  sanction  to  the  suggestions 
then  made.  I  beg  leave  to  earnestly  recommend  favorable  action, 
with  a  view  to  the  early  development  of  a  scientific  system  of  irri- 
gation and  wise  legislation  for  the  utilization  of  the  desert  lands. 
Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

WM.  F.  VILAS, 

Secretary. 

The  PRESIDENT  PRO  TEMPORE  OF  THE  SENATE. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR, 

U.  S.  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY, 
Washington,  D.  C.,  December  31,  1888. 

SIR:  In  compliance  with  instructions  I  have  the  honor  to  submit 
herewith  a  report  of  the  progress  made  in  organizing  and  prosecut- 
ing the  survey  of  the  arid  lands  provided  for  by  the  act  of  Congress 
approved  October  2,  1888. 

The  work  has  now  been  developed  to  such  an  extent  by  operations 
in  the  field  that  an  intelligent  estimate  can  be  made  of  the  appropria- 
tions which  can  be  used  with  economy  and  efficiency  in  the  prosecu- 
tion of  the  work  for  another  fiscal  year. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  proper  to  consider  the  vast  importance 
of  the  work  to  the  development  of  the  agricultural  industries  of  the 
West.  It  will  be  remembered  that  about  two-fifths  of  the  whole  area 


16  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

of  the  United  States,  exclusive  of  Alaska,  is  dependent  upon  irriga- 
tion for  its  agricultural  operations;  that  in  the  main  it  is  upon  these 
lands  that  the  future  settlers  upon  the  public  domain  are  to  make 
their  homes,  and  that  already  there  are  many  thousands  of  people 
in  the  arid  lands  engaged  as  laborers  on  great  farms  and  ranches  and 
in  mining  industries  and  in  roaming  about  the  country  prospecting 
for  gold,  silver  and  other  minerals,  and  also  congregated  in  the 
towns  and  cities  that  are  rapidly  growing  throughout  that  country — 
all  anxious  for  opportunity  to  settle  upon  the  public  lands  and  make 
homes  for  themselves.  In  view  of  these  facts  and  of  many  others  of 
equal  importance,  it  is  desirable  that  these  irrigation  surveys  should 
be  prosecuted  with  all  the  dispatch  compatible  with  economy  and 
accuracy. 

If  the  work  under  the  appropriation  to  be  made  should  be  com- 
menced early  in  the  spring  and  carried  forward  during  the  season  of 
agricultural  operations  it  would  be  highly  advantageous.  I  have 
therefore  asked  that  the  appropriation  be  made  immediately  available. 

I  respectfully  submit  the  request  to  the  honorable  the  Secretary  of 
the  Interior  that  the  following  estimates  for  this  work  be  transmitted 
to  the  Congress  with  his  approval,  and  with  it  the  brief  preliminary 
report  appended: 

For  the  purpose  of  investigating  the  extent  to  which  the  arid  region  of  the  United 
States  can  be  redeemed  by  irrigation  and  the  segregation  of  the  irrigable  lands  in 
such  arid  region,  and  for  the  selection  of  sites  for  reservoirs  and  other  hydraulic 
works  necessary  for  the  storage  and  utilization  of  water  for  irrigation  and  the  pre- 
vention of  floods  and  overflows,  and  to  make  the  necessary  maps,  including  the  pay 
of  employes  in  field  and  office,  the  cost  of  all  instruments,  apparatus,  and  materials, 
and  all  other  necessary  expenses  connected  therewith,  the  work  to  be  performed  by 
the  Geological  Survey,  under  the  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  the  sum 
of  $350,000,  or  so  much  thereof  as  may  be  necessary,  to  be  immediately  available. 

I  am,  with  respect,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  W.  POWELL, 

Director. 
The  SECRETARY  OF  THE  INTERIOR. 


PRELIMINARY  REPORT  ON  THE  ORGANIZATION  AND  PROSECU- 
TION OF  THE  SURVEY  OF  THE  ARID  LANDS  FOR  PURPOSES  OF 
IRRIGATION. 

In  the  act  making  "appropriations  for  sundry  civil  expenses  of 
the  Government  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1889,  and  for 
other  purposes,"  approved  October  2,  1888,  provision  was  made  for 
the  survey  of  the  arid  lands,  for  the  purpose  of  redeeming  the  same 
by  irrigation.  The  following  is  the  text  of  that  portion  of  the  statute : 

For  the  purpose  of  investigating  the  extent  to  which  the  arid  region  of  the  United 
States  can  be  redeemed  by  irrigation  and  the  segregation  of  the  irrigable  lands  in 
such  arid  region,  and  for  the  selection  of  sites  for  reservoirs  and  other  hydraulic 


PRELIMINARY    REPORT.  17 

works  necessary  for  the  storage  and  utilization  of  water  for  irrigation  and  the  pre- 
vention of  floods  and  overflows,  and  to  make  the  necessary  maps,  including  the  pay 
of  employes  in  field  and  in  office,  the  cost  of  all  instruments,  apparatus,  and  mate- 
rials, and  all  other  necessary  expenses  connected  therewith,  the  work  to  be  per- 
formed by  the  Geological  Survey,  under  the  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Inte- 
rior, the  sum  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  or  so  much  thereof  as  may  be 
necessary.  And  the  Director  of  the  Geological  Survey,  under  the  supervision  of  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior,  shall  make  a  report  to  Congress,  on  the  first  Monday  in 
December  of  each  year,  showing  in  detail  how  the  said  money  has  been  expended, 
the  amount  used  for  actual  survey  and  engineer  work  in  the  field  in  locating  sites 
for  reservoirs,  and  an  itemized  account  of  the  expenditures  under  this  appropriation. 
And  all  the  lands  which  may  hereafter  be  designated  or  selected  by  such  United 
States  surveys  for  sites  for  reservoirs,  ditches,  or  canals  for  irrigation  purposes,  and 
all  the  lands  made  susceptible  of  irrigation  by  such  reservoirs,  ditches,  or  canals  are 
from  this  time  henceforth  hereby  reserved  from  sale  as  the  property  of  the  United 
States,  and  shall  not  be  subject,  after  the  passage  of  this  act,  to  entry,  settlement 
or  occupation  until  further  provided  by  law:  Provided,  That  the  President  may  at 
any  time,  in  his  discretion,  by  proclamation  open  any  portion  or  all  of  the  lands  re- 
served by  this  provision  to  settlement  under  the  homestead  laws. 

In  obedience  to  the  provisions  of  the  above  statute  steps  were 
immediately  taken  to  commence  the  work'of  an  irrigation  survey  of 
the  arid  region  of  the  United  States.  Before  the  passage  of  the  act 
Congress  had  called  upon  the  honorable  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior 
for  general  plans  and  estimates,  and  under  the  instruction  of  the 
Secretary  the  Director  of  the  Geological  Survey  had  outlined  the 
scope  of  the  work  and  delineated  in  brief  the  results  that  might  be 
expected  to  follow.  He  further  made  an  estimate  of  the  total  cost 
and  of  the  amount  which  it  was  thought  co.uld  be  wisely  expended 
during  the  first  year's  operations.  These  reports  were  published  by 
Congress,  and  constitute  Senate  Executive  Documents  Nos.  134  and 
163,  Fiftieth  Congress,  first  session.  The  plan  therein  outlined  has 
been  followed. 

TOPOGRAPHIC   WORK. 

The  necessary  topographic  work  was  placed  under  the  charge  of 
A.  H.  Thompson.  A  number  of  topographers  already  employed  in 
the  Geological  Survey  were  selected  as  his  chief  assistants,  and  the 
force  was  largely  increased  by  the  employment  of  temporary  field 
assistants,  but  no  increase  of  the  permanent  corps  was  made.  Under 
the  direction  of  Prof.  Thompson  the  following-described  work  has 
been  done : 

WORK  IN  MONTANA. 

Work  was  commenced  on  the  Continental  Divide  at  the  head- 
waters of  the  Columbia  and  Missouri  Rivers  early  in  October,  one 
party  surveying  on  the  Columbia  River  side  and  another  on  the 
Missouri  River  side.  The  whole  was  under  the  immediate  charge  of 
Mr.  E.  M.  Douglas.  An  area  of  2,200  square  miles  has  been  sur- 
veyed. The  topographic  features  of  this  country  were  delineated, 

10  GEOL,    PT   2 2 


18  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    KEPOKT. 

the  courses  of  the  streams  and  the  sites  of  all  considerable  bodies 
of  water  were  ascertained,  and  the  altitude,  position,  and  general 
character  of  irrigable  lands  were  determined.  This  is  a  region  of 
abundant  perennial  streams,  and  many  sites  favorable  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  storage  reservoirs  have  been  discovered. 

WORK  IN   NEVADA. 

Early  in  November  Mr.  H.  M.  Wilson,  with  the  parties  under  his 
immediate  charge,  previously  engaged  on  topographic  work  in  the 
gold-belt  region  of  central  California,  was  transferred  to  Nevada, 
near  the  headwaters  of  the  Truckee,  Carson  and  Walker  Rivers, 
and  immediately  began  the  work  of  an  irrigation  survey.  This  is  a 
region  where  mountain  waters  are  in  great  abundance,  but  where 
lands  to  which  they  can  be  economically  conveyed  are  limited  in 
extent.  Up  to  the  present  time  the  survey  of  an  area  of  about  800 
square  miles  has  been  completed.  Work  will  be  continued  as  late 
into  the  winter  as  the  season  will  permit  and  resumed  early  in  the 
spring  of  1889. 

WORK  IN   COLORADO. 

In  the  latter  part  of  October,  and  immediately  on  the  passage  of  the 
act,  a  party  in  charge  of  Mr.  Anton  Karl  commenced  work  on  the  South 
Platte  River.  The  season  was  too  far  advanced  to  enter  the  mountain 
region,  so  the  survey  was  confined  to  the  foot-hills  and  the  plains  ex- 
tending eastward,  embracing  the  city  of  Denver  and  a  portion  of  the 
great  agricultural  district  of  Colorado.  About  1,400  square  miles 
have  been  surveyed. 

In  this  region  the  waters  of  the  South  Platte  are  already  employed 
in  the  irrigation  of  many  districts,  and  the  entire  volume  of  the  river 
during  the  irrigating  season  is  utilized  in  serving  the  lands  for  agri- 
cultural purposes.  The  future  development  of  agriculture  in  this 
country  is  dependent  partly  upon  such  an  improved  construction  of 
irrigating  works  as  will  prevent  waste  and  loss,  but  chiefly  upon  the 
construction  of  reservoirs  to  hold  the  waters  which  through  the  re- 
mainder of  the  year  now  flow  to  the  sea  without  performing  their 
duty  to  agriculture.  The  topographic  work  in  this  region  is  now  sus- 
pended, as  it  can  not  be  economically  carried  on  in  the  winter,  but  it 
will  be  resumed  in  the  spring. 

Early  in  October  a  large  party,  under  charge  of  Mr.  W.  D.  Johnson, 
was  sent  to  Colorado  to  operate  in  the  valley  of  the  Arkansas,  and 
work  is  being  prosecuted  with  vigor.  An  area  of  about  1,500  square 
miles  has  been  surveyed.  It  embraces  some  regions  which  have 
already  been  redeemed  by  irrigation,  but  which  can  be  further  de- 
veloped by  better  utilization  of  the  great  flow  of  the  Upper  Arkansas 
and  by  the  storage  of  waters  in  the  higher  mountains  and  the  foot- 
hills. The  upper  portion  of  the  Arkansas,  unlike  that  of  the  South 
Platte,  is  well  adapted  to  this  purpose,,  as  there  are  many  valleys,  mo- 


PRELIMINARY    REPORT.  19 

raiiial  lakes  and  basins  that  can  be  economically  utilized  for  storage 
basins.  On  the  South  Platte  much.of  the  stored  waters  must  be  held 
in  lakes  created  in  the  foot-hills  and  on  the  plains,  while  the  waters 
of  the  Upper  Arkansas  can  be  held  high  in  the  mountain  lands,  where 
in  many  ways  the  conditions  are  more  favorable  and  the  engineering 
problems  less  difficult. 

WORK  IN  NEW   MEXICO. 

At  the  time  of  the  passage  of  the  act  above  mentioned,  parties 
under  Mr.  A.  P.  Davis  were  at  work  in  New  Mexico  making  topo- 
graphic surveys  of  certain  mountain  regions.  These  surveys  were 
on  methods  adapted  to  the  purposes  of  the  irrigation  investigation, 
an<J  it  was  therefore  only  necessary  to  enlarge  the  scale  and  extend 
the  work  into  districts  of  irrigable  lands.  The  entire  work  of  the 
season  is  therefore  available.  The  region  embraced  is  that  drained 
by  the  Jemez  River  and  other  tributaries  of  the  Rio  Grande  rising 
in  the  Tewaii  group  of  mountains.  The  most  northern  river  of  this 
series  is  the  Chama,  which  has  its  confluence  with  the  Rio  Grande 
above  Santa  Fe'.  The  most  southern  is  the  Puerco,  having  its  con- 
fluence with  the  Rio  Grande  below  Albuquerque,  and  between 
these  rivers  the  Jemez  and  other  streams  join  the  Rio  Grande.  At 
the  writing  of  this  report  an  area  in  this  region  has  been  surveyed 
topographically  having  an  extent  of  about  6,000  square  miles. 

From  the  above  it  will  be  seen  that,  although  the  act  for  the  irri- 
gation survey  was  not  signed  until  October,  and  the  season  favorable 
for  surveys  in  middle  latitude  was  almost  past,  yet  the  work  was 
immediately  pushed  with  vigor,  so  that  at  the  close  of  the  calendar 
year  five  considerable  tracts  of  country  have  been  surveyed — one  in 
Montana,  another  in  Nevada,  a  third  in  the  Platte  Valley  of  Colo- 
rado, a  fourth  in  the  Arkansas  Valley  of  Colorado,  and  the  fifth 
in  the  drainage  basin  of  the  Rio  Grande,  in  New  Mexico. 

HYDRAULIC   WORK. 

As  set  forth  in  the  reports  made  to  Congress  and  mentioned  above, 
an  irrigation  survey  necessitates  a  hydraulic  survey  of  a  specific 
character. 

In  order  to  determine  the  amount  of  water  which  can  be  stored,  the 
several  streams  which  supply  the  water  must  be  gauged — that  is, 
their  running  volumes  from  day  to  day  and  month  to  month,  through- 
out the  year,  must  be  determined  Only  that  portion  which  flows 
during  the  season  of  irrigation  can  be  utilized  without  storage.  For 
the  greater  part  of  the  year  the  water  runs  to  waste  if  not  impounded. 

Again,  to  determine  the  amount  of  lands  which  can  be  served  by 
the  flowing  water  of  the  irrigating  season  and  by  the  storage  waters 
of  the  non-irrigating  season,  it  is  necessary  to  determine  the  quantity 
of  water  which  should  be  used  in  serving  a  definite  quantity  of  land. 


20  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

This  is  denominated  by  irrigation  engineers  the  "duty"  of  water. 
The  duty  of  water  artificially  supplied  is  affected  by  the  amount  of 
rain-fall  or  general  atmospheric  precipitation,  the  artificially-supplied 
water  being  complementary  to  that.  Again,  it  is  affected  by  lati- 
tude, altitude  and  other  climatic  conditions.  Still  again,  it  is  affected 
by  the  character  of  the  soils.  t  Finally,  it  depends  largely  upon  the 
character  of  the  crops  raised. 

To  determine  the  duty  of  water  it  is  necessary  to  resort  to  practical 
experience,  and  to  interpret  the  facts  of  experience  in  the  light  of 
general  climatic  and  soil  conditions.  In  the  storage  of  water,  in 
order  to  determine  the  amount  of  water  which  can  actually  be  con- 
served for  useful  purposes,  it  is  necessary  to  ascertain  the  amount 
and  rate  of  evaporation  under  different  conditions  of  latitude,  alti- 
tude and  general  climate.  Throughout  the  arid  region  of  the  United 
States  the  conditions  which  determine  the  amount  of  evaporation  are 
exceedingly  variable,  and  it  ranges  from  a  probable  minimum  of  20 
inches  per  year  to  a  probable  maximum  of  100  inches  per  year.  If 
water,  therefore,  be  stored  in  artificial  lakes,  where  evaporation  is 
but  20  inches  per  year,  a  very  small  amount  of  water  is  thus  lost;  but 
if  it  be  stored  where  the  evaporation  reaches  the  amount  of  100  inches 
per  year,  the  water  lost  is  very  great.  It  is  necessary  to  determine 
these  factors  in  a  general  way  in  order  wisely  to  select  the  sites  for 
reservoirs,  and  in-  order  further  to  segregate  the  lands  that  are  to  be 
reclaimed. 

All  streams  carry  sediment,  some  in  great  quantities  some  in  small, 
but  when  their  waters  are  collected  in  reservoirs  the  sediment  at 
once  settles.  Reservoirs,  therefore,  become  settling  basins.  If  the 
amount  of  sediment  carried  by  a  stream  into  the  reservoir  is  very 
great  the  reservoir  will  be  speedily  filled,  and  in  order  to  determine 
the  life  of  the  reservoir,  should  it  never  be  cleared  of  its  deposited 
silt,  and  to  determine  to  what  extent  it  must  be  purged  of  its  sedi- 
ment in  order  that  it  may  permanently  retain  its  due  capacity,  and 
further  to  determine  the  eligibility  of  any  site  and  the  relative  values 
of  optional  sites,  it  is  important  that  the  amount  of  sediment  borne 
by  the  stream  shall  be  measured  in  various  parts  of  its  channel. 

To  ascertain  the  factors  thus  briefly  set  forth,  the  hydraulic  branch 
of  the  Irrigation  Survey  was  organized,  with  Capt.  C.  E.  Button  at 
its  head.  No  permanent  corps  for  the  hydraulic  survey  has  yet  been 
selected,  but  a  number  of  field  assistants  have  been  employed  and 
are  temporarily  engaged  in  experimental  work.  At  the  earliest  pos- 
sible day  the  methods  and  instruments  to  be  used  were  taken  up  as 
a  subject  of  investigation.  Many  instruments  and  plans  have  been 
devised  by  engineers  throughout  the'world,  especially  where  irriga- 
tion is  practiced,  for  the  purpose  of  solving  the  problem  of  gauging 
rivers.  These  were  considered,  and  finally  a  tentative  selection  of 
methods  was  made  and  the  necessary  instruments  were  procured. 


PRELIMINARY    REPORT'.  21 

In  the  matter  of  rain-gauging  much  is  already  being  accomplished, 
as  throughout  the  arid  region  the  people  are  intensely  interested  in 
this  subject,  which  they  regard  as  vitally  important  to  their  indus- 
tries. Many  enterprising  and  intelligent  men  have  instituted  rain- 
gauge  and  other  meteorologic  observations.  Similarly,  various  cor- 
porations have  conducted  inquiries  of  this  character,  and  meteoro- 
logic societies  have  been  organized  in  the  arid  States  and  Territories; 
and  finally,  the  Signal  Service  of  the  United  States  is  carrying  for- 
ward its  general  system  of  meteorologic  investigations  in  the  arid 
regions.  It  is  proposed  in  the  irrigation  survey  to  utilize  the  work 
of  the  Signal  Service,  the  work  of  local  societies,  of  State  and  Terri- 
torial engineers,  of  colleges  and  other  corporations,  and  of  the  many 
individuals  who  have  interested  themselves  in  this  subject.  It  is 
therefore  believed  that  the  needed  rain-fall  and  meteorologic  re- 
searches can  be  carried  on  at  a  minimum  of  expense,  and  that  great 
practical  advantage  can  be  derived  therefrom.  In  the  selection  of 
methods  and  apparatus  for  rain-gauging  it  was  found  that  the  prob- 
lem had  already  been  solved  by  the  officers  of  the  Signal  Service,  and 
their  system  was  adopted. 

Hydraulic  engineers  throughout  the  world  have  been  interested 
in  methods  of  determining  the  rate  of  evaporation  under  various 
conditions,  and  many  ingenious  contrivances  have  been  used  and 
proposed.  Among  these  no  final  selection  has  been  made,  but  two 
or  three  have  been  adopted  tentatively  and  with  modifications,  and 
experiments  have  been  instituted  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  final 
selection  of  that  which  seems  best. 

The  determination  of  the  amount  of  sediment  carried  by  a  stream 
is  not  easy.  The  amount  borne  by  suspension  or  flotation  can  be 
determined  from  day  to  day  throughout  the  year  with  reasonable 
accuracy,  but  a  large  part  is  driven  along  the  bottom  and  is  never 
fully  held  in  suspension.  In  the  great  arid  plains  and  valleys  of  the 
region  under  consideration  the  amount  of  this  driven  load  is  com- 
paratively greater  than  in  humid  lands,  from  the  fact  that  the  storm- 
waters  in  such  lands  excessively  choke  the  stream-channels.  In 
view  of  these  facts  experiments  have  been  instituted  for  the  purpose 
of  developing  practical  methods  of  observation.  In  selecting  a  site 
for  a  reservoir  it  is  incumbent  upon  the  engineers  to  determine  the 
rate  at  which  the  reservoir  will  probably  be  filled  by  sedimentation, 
and  to  determine,  further,  what  hydraulic  appliances  and  methods 
can  be  adopted  to  overcome  this  difficulty.  This  subject,  also,  is  un- 
dergoing careful  investigation  by  a  number  of  the  officers  of  the 
Geological  Survey. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  work  of  the  hydraulic  survey  consists 
in  making  a  series  of  observations  and  experiments  to  determine  the 
volume  of  water  flowing  in  the  streams,  the  volume  of  precipitation, 
or  rain-fall  and  snow-fall,  the  rate  of  evaporation,  or  the  volume  of 


22  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

water  which  will  be  evaporated  from  reservoirs  of  given  size  and 
situation,  and  the  volume  of  silt  carried  by  the  stream  ;  and  results 
are  obtained  by  continuing  these  observations  through  selected  pe- 
riods of  time.  For  correct  results  it  is  necessary  that  the  observa- 
tions be  made  regularly  and  accurately ;  and  further,  that  they  be 
made  systematically,  in  order  that  the  records  made  by  one  person 
may  be  comparable  with  those  made  by  another.  To  secure  these 
results  it  was  neces  ary  to  prepare  elaborate  instructions  for  the 
common  use  of  the  observers,  and  to  prepare  blanks  upon  which  the 
results  of  observations  could  be  recorded.  With  regard  to  stream- 
gauging  and  rain-gauging,  this  has  been  accomplished.  The  instruc- 
tions and  record  forms  relating  to  the  other  lines  of  observation  are 
only  partly  completed,  but  will  be  perfected  at  an  early  day. 

SEGREGATION   WORK. 

After  the  topographic  and  hydraulic  surveys,  the  next  step  in  the 
irrigation  survey,  and  that  which  completes  the  work  provided  for 
in  the  statute,  is  the  selection  or  segregation  of  the  sites  for  reser- 
voirs and  other  irrigating  works,  as  diverting-dams  and  canals,  and 
finally,  the  selection  of  the  lands  that  can  be  most  economically 
served.  For  this  branch  of  the  work  110  scientific  organization  has 
yet  been  made,  nor  has  a  chief  been  selected  into  whose  hands  the 
work  shall  be  consigned,  but  the  general  subject  is  one  to  which  the 
Director  of  the  Survey  has  been  giving  careful  attention,  in  which 
he  has  received  the  assistance  of  a  number  of  his  colleagues,  and 
concerning  which  he  has  sought  and  obtained  the  advice  of  many  of 
the  leading  engineers  of  the  country. 

RESERVOIR  SITES. 

In  the  selection  of  reservoir  sites  a  number  of  important  condi- 
tions, each  one  of  which  is  vital  to  the  best  success,  have  to  be  con- 
sidered. The  basin  selected  must  be  such  as  will  store  the  greatest 
amount  of  water  with  the  greatest  economy  of  construction.  It  is 
manifest  that,  as  reservoirs  can  not  be  excavated  within  reasonable 
conditions  of  cost,  they  must  be  natural  basins.  In  many  cases 
these  will  be  existing  lakes,  and  while  many  such  will  require  dams 
at  their  outlets  in  order  to  regulate  by  gates  the  outflow  of  the 
water,  there  are  some  which  can  be  controlled  by  tapping  below  the 
level  of  the  natural  discharge.  Such  reservoirs  will  be  the  most 
economical,  as  outlets  only  will  have  to  be  constructed  and  guarded 
with  gate- ways,  and  the  natural  evaporation  surface  will  not  be  en- 
larged. 

A  great  number  of  these  natural  reservoirs  have  already  come 
under  the  observation  of  the  officers  of  the  Survey.  As  an  illustra- 
tion, Lake  Tahoe,  which  is  the  source  of  the  Truckee  River,  may  be 
cited.  This  is  a  lake  filled  from  a  catchment  basin  of  500  square 


PRELIMINARY    REPORT.  23 

miles,  and  having  a  surface  of  195  square  miles.  This  storage  lake, 
constructed  by  nature,  has  only  to  be  tapped  and  gate-ways  con- 
structed and  it  can  at  once  be  used,  and  the  water  which  is  gathered 
through  the  non-irrigating  season  may  through  the  irrigating  season 
be  discharged  again  into  the  natural  channel  in  addition  to  the 
waters  which  fall  from  the  heavens  during  that  season,  and  the  whole, 
carried  down  to  the  diverting-dams  in  the  valley  below,  turned  out 
into  irrigating-canals,  to  be  spread  over  the  land. 

In  the  total  area  available  for  irrigation  to  which  the  water  of  the 
Truckee  may  be  carried  it  is  probable  that  an  acre  foot  of  .water, 
that  is,  an  acre  of  water  1  foot  deep,  will  abundantly  irrigate  an  acre 
of  land  through  one  season;  and  it  is  possible  to  store  in  Lake  Tahoe 
500,000  acre  feet,  which  can  be  made  to  irrigate  500,000  acres  of  land. 
This  can  be  done  by  providing  for  the  discharge  of  4  feet  of  water 
from  the  surface  of  the  lake  through  each  irrigating  season,  and 
providing  for  the  conservation  of  the  same  amount  annually  con- 
tributed by  the  clouds.  The  survey  has  not  yet  proceeded  far 
enough  to  determine  where  these  lands  can  be  selected;  the  case  has 
been  here  cited  simply  as  an  illustration  of  the  manner  in  which  the 
natural  lakes  of  the  mountain  regions  of  the  arid  land  can  be  econom- 
ically utilized  as  storage  reservoirs.  Such  lakes  exist  in  great  num- 
bers; altogether  there  are  several  hundred,  each  one  of  which  must 
be  examined  and  carefully  surveyed  in  order  to  determine  the  meth- 
ods by  which  it  can  be  used. 

In  addition  to  the  natural  lakes  to  be  thus  employed  a  great  num- 
ber of  artificial  lakes  must  be  created,  and  as  far  as  possible  these 
lake  sites  should  be  selected  in  elevated  mountain  regions.  A  variety 
of  conditions  conspire  to  determine  this  preference.  First,  in  the 
high  mountain  regions  evaporation  is  at  a  minimum,  and  the  least 
amount  of  water  will  be  lost  by  this  means  where  the  lakes  are  at 
great  elevation.  Second,  the  mountain  waters  are  comparatively 
pure,  and  hence  the  mountain  reservoirs  will  be  filled  by  sediment 
to  the  smallest  degree.  Third,  the  lands  to  be  condemned  for  this 
purpose  will  be  above  the  agricultural  limit,  and  therefore  can  not 
be  utilized  for  any  purpose  other  than  that  of  brief  summer  pastur- 
age. Fourth,  the  waters  thus  retained  can  be  restored  to  their  natural 
channels  and  be  distributed  to  all  the  communities  settled  in  the 
valley  below  whose  industries  are  dependent  upon  irrigation.  Fifth, 
such  reservoirs  are  effectually  removed  from  positions  where  they 
threaten  danger  to  homes  and  lands  if  by  reason  of  bad  construction 
or  neglect  they  are  permitted  to  breach  their  retaining-walls. 

But  while  a  large  part  of  the  rain-fall  is  concentrated  in  these  ele- 
vated regions  it  is  not  all  found  there ;  the  low  mountains  and  foot- 
hills are  also  regions  of  great  precipitation,  and  midland  reservoirs 
are  necessary  to  conserve  all  the  water.  To  a  large  extent  these  will 
have  to  be  constructed  in  the  foot-hills.  They  will  usually  be  of 


24  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

smaller  extent  than  those  of  the  highlands,  though  notable  exceptions 
to  this  general  rule  are  already  known. 

And  finally,  great  reservoirs  or  artificial  lakes  will  have  to  be 
established  along  the  plains  and  in  great  valleys  not  far  from  the 
mountains.  Natural  morainal  basins  can  often  be  discovered,  and 
valleys  of  small  lateral  streams  can  be  utilized  by  constructing  dams 
along  their  lower  courses  where  favorable  conditions  exist.  These 
reservoirs  will  usually  have  a  greater  area  as  compared  with  their 
depth  than  those  of  mountains,  and,  being  in  regions  of  greater 
evaporation,  the  waters  stored  therein  will  sustain  great  loss.  They 
are  to  be  considered  only  as  necessary  and  important  auxiliaries  to 
the  general  reservoir  system.  But  there  are  districts  of  country 
where  the  mountains  rise  precipitously  from  plains  or  valleys  to  thM 
crests  of  the  ranges,  where  mountain  meadows,  parks,  and  natural 
lakes  are  few,  and  where  the  principal  storage  must  be  in  the  lowland 
reservoirs.  As  already  stated,  the  waters  of  the  North  Platte  and 
of  the  Arkansas  can  be  mainly  stored  in  the  highlands,  while  the 
water  of  the  South  Platte  must  be  chiefly  stored  in  the  lowlands. 

IRRIGABLE  LANDS. 

In  the  selection  of  irrigable  lands  many  important  considerations 
are  involved,  some  of  which  are  as  follows  : 

The  lands  selected  should  be  in  a  situation  where  the  waters  for 
their  fertilization  can  be  delivered  at  a  minimum  of  expense.  To 
secure  this,  sites  for  diverting-dams  must  be  chosen  where  permanent 
dams  can  be  constructed,  and  where  they  will  not  be  subject  to 
destruction  through  yielding  foundations  and  by  great  floods.  In 
the  region  of  country  where  irrigation  is  already  practiced  in  the 
United  States  this  maxim  has  been  neglected  by  reason  of  the  want 
of  proper  information,  and  great  losses  have  resulted.  Again,  the 
sites  of  the  canals  for  carrying  the  waters  must  be  on  lands  where 
the  loss  by  seepage  and  evaporation  is  little,  and  where  the  country 
through  which  they  are  to  be  constructed  is  of  fcuch  a  nature  that 
they  will  not  be  in  danger  of  destruction  from  storm-waters.  These 
conditions  are  primary  in  the  establishment  of  the  fundamental 
works  of  irrigation.  There  are  certain  other  conditions,  secondary 
to  them,  which  need  not  be  enumerated  here.  All  together  they  con- 
stitute the  engineering  conditions  affecting  the  selection  of  lands  to 
be  irrigated. 

.As  the  amount  of  eligible  land  will  generally  be  found  to  be  largely 
in  excess  of  the  amount  which  can  be  served  by  the  waters,  judg- 
ment must  be  exercised  in  the  selection  of  the  lands  most  available 
and  valuable  for  agricultural  purposes.  Having  found  where  waters 
can  be  economically  carried,  the  first  set  of  conditions  to  influence 
the  selection  of  the  land  may  be  considered  under  the  general  head 
of  altitude.  The  higher  the  selected  lands  are  and  the  nearer  they 


PRELIMINARY    REPORT.  25 

are  to  the  source  of  the  water  the  shorter  will  be  the  canals  ;  on  the 
other  hand,  the  higher  the  lands  the  more  inhospitable  will  be  the 
climate.  In  the  first  place,  no  lands  should  be  selected  at  an  altitude 
where  profitable  agriculture  can  not  be  carried  on.  This  rule  ex- 
cludes the  elevated  lands  of  many  great  mountain  meadows  and 
parks.  Below  this  elevated  zone  is  a  wide  range  of  selection,  gov- 
erned by  a  wide  range  of  varying  and  competing  conditions.  The 
higher  the  lands  are  the  greater  will  be  the  duty  of  water,  as  the 
regions  are  more  humid  and  a  smaller  amount  of  water  is  necessary 
for  their  reclamation,  while  a  smaller  amount  is  lost  in  the  process 
of  transportation.  This,  together  with  the  condition  mentioned 
above,  namely,  that  of  shorter  canals,  leads  to  the  selection  of  lands 
in  the  upper  portions  of  the  valleys  and  along  the  plains  near  to 
the  foot-hills. 

On  the  other  hand,  in  the  country  farther  down  the  valleys  and 
farther  away  from  the  mountains  the  climate  is  warmer,  vegetation 
grows  with  greater  luxuriance,  the  harvests  are  more  abundant,  a 
greater  variety  of  agricultural  crops  can  be  raised,  and  the  season  of 
agricultural  operations  is  greatly  lengthened.  In  a  general  way  it 
may  be  stated  that  a  difference  of  600  feet  of  altitude  is  equivalent 
to  a  difference  of  about  1  degree  of  latitude.  These  considerations 
tend  toward  the  selection  of  lands  in  the  lower  regions.  Perhaps 
the  attractions  to  the  lower  lands  are  about  equivalent  to  the  attrac- 
tions to  the  upper  lands,  and  if  no  other  conditions  were  involved 
the  widest  latitude  in  selection  might  be  permitted ;  but  there  are 
other  conditions  of  profound  importance. 

The  river  channels  of  the  arid  region  of  the  United  States  have 
characteristics  which  potently  affect  the  interests  of  irrigation  and 
the  problems  involved  in  the  selection  of  irrigable  lands.  The  streams 
all  have  their  sources  in  the  mountains,  where  there  is  great  rain-fall, 
and  they  descend  with  rapidity  by  steep  declivities  into  the  plains 
and  valleys  below,  where  the  channel  grades  are  greatly  reduced, 
and  where  the  arid  regions  proper  are  situated  and  the  agricultural 
lands  are  found.  When  the  rivers  reach  the  low,  comparatively  arid 
lands,  their  characteristics  suddenly  change;  they  no  longer  run  in 
deep  canyons  or  narrow  valleys,  but  find  their  way  through  broad  and 
shallow  valleys,  and  the  agricultural  lands  rise  from  these  low  val- 
leys on  either  side  by  steps  or  terraces,  and  bench  lands  are  found. 
Within  the  broad  valleys  the  streams  are  wide  and  shallow.  Be- 
tween the  width  and  depth  of  their  channels  there  is  a  very  large 
ratio;  a  stream  a  hundred  yards  wide  may  be  but  a  few  inches  deep, 
and  a  stream  a  thousand  yards  in  width  may  have  an  average  depth 
of  but  a  yard  or  even  a  half  yard. 

Again,  in  the  plain  and  valley  reaches  of  the  rivers  the  country  on 
either  side  is  so  arid  that  few  or  no  perennial  streams  are  produced; 


26  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

that  is,  the  principal  rivers  have  no  prairie  and  plain-born  affluents 
that  run  throughout  the  year.  Yet  storms  fall  on  these  lowlands, 
and  the  storm  waters  are  gathered  into  the  principal  rivers  and  carry 
on  their  floods  vast  loads  of  dust  and  sand  which  are  deposited  in  the 
channels  of  the  rivers  and  keep  them  forever  choked  with  mud.  It 
is  thus  that  mountain  torrents  of  clear  water  are  suddenly  trans- 
formed into  rivers  of  mud  when  they  pass  to  the  plains  and  valleys. 
The  importance  of  these  factors  to  the  problems  of  irrigation  is  enor- 
mous. The  rivers  choked  with  mud  can  not  flow  freely  to  the  sea, 
but  are  spread  out  over  broad  surfaces  and  absorbed  in  the  sands, 
and  their  waters  are  evaporated,  so  that  but  a  small  proportion  of  the 
outflow  from  the  mountains  finds  its  way  to  the  sea.  There  are 
many  creeks  and  rivers  that  are  wholly  absorbed  in  this  manner; 
instead  of  emptying  into  the  ocean  they  empty  into  arid  sands  and 
dust  plains  and  are  lost.  It  is  often  the  case  with  a  stream  that  while 
it  might  be  made  to  irrigate  a  tract  of  10,000  acres,  or  even  100,000 
acres,  at  the  point  where  it  leaves  the  mountain,  yet  it  is  entirely  lost 
as  it  advances,  so  that  no  irrigable  lands  can  be  redeemed  by  it  at  a 
distance  of  25  or  50  miles  away. 

But  besides  the  loss  of  waters  in  the  process  of  their  transportation 
along  natural  channels,  there  is  another  condition  of  importance.  In 
the  valley  and  plain  regions  the  streams  are  loaded  with  mud  and 
sand,  and  when  the  current  is  checked  by  the  diversion  of  the  water 
into  canals  of  gentle  inclination  this  sediment  is  thrown  down,  and 
its  volume  is  so  great  that  it  speedily  fills  and  obstructs  the  irrigating 
channels,  and  is  injurious  to  the  land  over  which  it  is  poured. 

It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  from  the  explanation  which  has  been 
given,  that  it  will  usually  be  advantageous  to  take  the  waters  from 
their  natural  channels  before  they  are  spread  into  the  shallow  channels 
of  the  lowland  regions  and  loaded  with  mud.  And  the  problem  prac- 
tically takes  this  form :  Is  it  better  to  select  elevated  lands  and  serve 
them  through  short  canals,  or  to  select  lower  lands  and  serve  them 
through  longer  canals?  It  is  probable  that  in  most  cases  this  prob- 
lem will  be  solved  by  a  consideration  of  the  character  of  the  topog- 
raphy and  of  the  soils. 

APPROPRIATION   OF  RESERVOIR   SITES. 

I  respectfully  invite  your  attention  to  the  clause  of  the  act  provid- 
ing for  an  irrigation  survey  which  withdraws  from  "  sale,  entry, 
settlement  or  occupation "  the  lands  selected  for  reservoir  sites  and 
those  segregated  as  irrigable  tracts.  It  is  as  follows: 

And  all  the  lands  which  may  hereafter  be  designated  or  selected  by  such  United 
States  surveys  for  sites  for  reservoirs,  ditches  or  canals  for  irrigation  purposes,  and 
all  the  lands  made  susceptible  of  irrigation  by  such  reservoirs,  ditches  or  canals  are 
from  this  time  henceforth  hereby  reserved  from  sale  as  the  property  of  the  United 
States,  and  shall  not  be  subject  after  the  passage  of  this  act  to  entry,  settlement  or 


PRELIMINARY    REPORT.  27 

occupation  until  further  provided  bylaw:  Provided,  That  the  President  may  at  any 
time,  in  his  discretion,  by  proclamation  open  any  portion  or  all  of  the  lands  reserved 
by  this  provision  to  settlement  under  the  homestead  laws. 

It  is  apparent  that  the  reservation  from  sale  of  the  lands  necessary 
for  the  sites  of  reservoirs  is  eminently  wise,  as  no  restriction  or 
burden  should  be  placed  upon  the  development  of  agriculture  by 
irrigation  in  the  arid  lands,  but  some  provision  should  be  made  by 
which  such  reservoir  sites  can  be  promptly  utilized  for  the  pur- 
poses for  which  they  are  designed.  It  is  shown  that  further  legisla- 
tion is  contemplated  from  the  fact  that  the  reservation  is  made  to 
extend  only  "until  further  provided  by  law."  In  some  of  the  States 
of  the  arid  region  there  are  already  statutes  providing  for  the  occu- 
pation and  utilization  of  reservoir  sites.  Perhaps  the  streams,  not 
being  navigable  waters,  are  under  the  control  of  the  States,  but  the 
lands  to  be  covered  by  waters  in  the  reservoir  system  largely  and 
chiefly  belong  to  the  General  Government.  If  these  assumptions 
are  correct  there  is  a  divided  jurisdiction,  as  the  control  of  the  waters 
belongs  to  the  State  and  the  control  of  the  lands  belongs  to  the  Gen- 
eral Government.  It  is  suggested  that  under  these  circumstances  it 
may  be  wise  to  cede  the  lands  reserved  for  reservoir  sites  to  the  sev- 
eral States  and  Territories  under  conditions  and  restrictions  that  will 
secure  their  utilization  for  the  purpose  designed,  and  to  prevent  their 
becoming  the  property  of  individuals  or  corporations  and  thus  as- 
suming the  form  of  monopolies. 

DISPOSAL   OP   IRRIGABLE  LANDS. 

The  propriety  of  reserving  the  irrigable  lands  from  sale,  settle- 
ment and  occupation  until  restored  under  the  homestead  laws 
through  proclamation  of  the  President,  is  worthy  of  further  consid- 
eration. If  the  selections  are  wisely  made — and  this  must  be  as- 
sumed— the  best  lands,  all  things  considered,  that  belong  to  the  valley 
or  plain  of  a  given  stream  are  segregated  from  the  general  domain 
and  peculiar  restrictions  are  placed  upon  their  disposal;  that  is,  they 
can  be  settled  only  under  the  homestead  provisions,  and  that  after 
proclamation  by  the  President,  while  titles  to  the  other  lands  can  be 
secured  under  the  homestead  laws,  the  pre-emption  laws,  the  desert- 
land  laws  and  the  timber-culture  laws. 

The  individual  wishing  to  obtain  titles  to  lands  will  prefer  to  take 
up  lands  under  the  more  liberal  provisions,  so  that  the  selected  lands 
will  be  neglected  and  the  non-selected  lands  will  be  entered;  and  as 
the  statute  now  stands  the  waters  of  the  streams  will  be  taken  to  the 
non-selected  or  poorer  lands.  It  must  in  this  connection  be  further 
understood  that  the  difference  between  the  good  and  the  bad  lands 
will  usually  be  very  great.  It  may  often  be  the  case  that  the  water 
necessary  to  irrigate  a  square  mile  of  the  poorer  non-selected  lands 
would,  if  taken  to  the  selected  lands,  irrigate  2,  3,  4,  5,  or  more  square 


28  IRRIGATION    SURVEY — FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

miles.  The  individual  making  the  selections  can  not  be  supposed  to 
have  the  general  good  in  view,  but  only  his  personal  interests,  and 
he  will  not  consider  the  facts  here  presented. 

Under  these  circumstances  it  would  seem  wise  either  to  provide 
that  the  waters  of  the  streams  and  reservoirs  shall  belong  to  the  seg- 
regated lands,  or  to  repeal  the  clause  which  provides  that  they  can  be 
settled  only  under  the  homestead  laws.  The  effect  of  this  last  pro- 
vision would  be  to  make  the  ultimate  choice  of  the  lands  optional 
with  the  settler  in  each  case,  and  the  value  of  the  official  selection 
would  be  in  giving  to  the  settler  the  necessary  information  upon  which 
his  judgment  could  be  formed.  Again,  it  might  be  wise  to  tempora- 
rily suspend  or  permanently  repeal  the  laws  providing  for  the  disposal 
of  the  arid  lands — homestead  laws,  pre-emption  laws,  desert-land  laws 
and  timber-culture  laws — and  provide  a  new  statute  adapted  to  the 
conditions  now  prevailing.  Again,  it  might  be  wise  to  repeal  the 
pre-emption  laws,  the  desert-land  laws,  and  the  timber-culture  laws 
in  their  application  to  the  arid  lands,  and  to  let  the  homestead  laws 
remain,  to  be  improved  from  time  to  time  as  circumstances  demand. 

With  a  degree  of  misgiving  the  Director  begs  permission  to  sug- 
gest as  his  own  opinion  that  the  best  solution  of  the  problem  under 
the  present  circumstances  is  to  withdraw  all  the  lands  of  the  arid 
region  from  "sale,  entry,  settlement  or  occupation,"  except  those 
selected  as  irrigable  lands,  and  to  allow  titles  to  irrigable  lands  to  be 
acquired  only  through  the  operation  of  the  homestead  laws  and  the 
desert-land  laws. 

These  suggestions  as  to  legislation  may  be  altogether  unwise,  but 
the  problem  of  the  best  disposition  to  be  made  of  the  arid  lands 
remains.  It  is  a  problem  of  profound  importance,  and  it  presses  for 
solution.  Many  thousands  of  persons  are  already  in  that  country 
and  eagerly  desirous  of  establishing  homes  for  themselves,  and  they 
are  debarred  therefrom  because  the  land  system  which  now  exists, 
a  system  which  was  the  growth  of  time,  and  to  which  the  highest 
statesmanship  had  been  devoted  for  a  long  term  of  years,  was  adapted 
to  the  physical  conditions  which  prevail  in  humid  lands,  and  is  not 
adapted  to  the  conditions  which  prevail  in  arid  lands.  The  march 
of  settlement  in  its  progress  westward  has  reached  a  region  of  coun- 
try where  the  physical  conditions  and  limitations  of  agriculture  dif- 
fer altogether  from  those  prevailing  in  the  regions  first  settled,  and 
problems  are  presented  new  to  us  and  unknown  to  our  ancestors, 
who  came  from  northern  Europe,  but  very  old  to  the  people  of  south- 
ern Europe  and  of  other  regions  of  the  earth.  In  fact,  the  earliest 
agriculture  known  to  the  world  was  that  which  was  carried  on  by 
means  of  irrigation. 

It  is  due  from  me  to  recognize  the  valuable  services  of  Professor 
Thompson  and  Captain  Button,  who  have  with  great  energy  and 
vigor  assisted  me  in  organizing  and  starting  the  Irrigation  Survey. 


PURPOSE  OF  THE  SURVEY.  29 

Both  of  these  gentlemen  have  had  long  experience  in  kindred  work 
of  the  Geological  Survey,  and  have  studied  the  special  problems  of 
irrigation  for  many  years,  and  they  were  therefore  eminently  quali- 
fied by  scholarship  and  practical  experience  to  execute  the  task.  In 
like  manner  all  of  the  topographers  and  hydrographers  who  have 
been  engaged  in  the  work  have  exhibited  enthusiasm  and  efficiency. 


PURPOSE  OF  THE  SURVEY. 

From  a  consideration  of  the  statutes  thus  enumerated  and 
the  executive  correspondence  preliminary  thereto,  and  from  an 
examination  of  the  reports  made  by  committees  of  the  Con- 
gress and  the  Congressional  debates  on  the  subject,  it  seemed 
clear  to  the  Director  that  it  was  not  the  purpose  of  the  Congress 
to  create  a  survey  as  a  preliminary  step  to  the  construction  of 
works  of  irrigation  by  the  General  Government.  From  these 
sources  it  was  abundantly  manifest  that  the  object  of  the  sur- 
vey should  be  to  collect  facts  necessary  to  intelligent  legislation 
relating  to  the  public  domain  and  to  wise  administration  of  the 
laws  relating  to  its  disposal  in  small  parcels  to  the  people,  and 
at  the  same  time  to  furnish  needed  information  to  the  agricult- 
urists rapidly  settling  in  the  arid  lands.  The  information 
needed  by  the  Congress  and  by  the  executive  departments  of 
the  Government  may  be  briefly  characterized  in  the  following 
manner : 

In  the  arid  lands,  where  agriculture  is  dependent  upon  irriga- 
tion, only  a  small  area  can  be  redeemed,  as  the  waters  are 
insufficient  to  serve  all  of  the  lands.  The  lands  vary  in  quality 
from  worthless  mountain  slopes  and  lava  fields  to  smooth  and 
rich  plains.  Out  of  these  lands  of  variable  quality  the  best 
should  be  selected  in  the  interest  of  the  future  agriculture  of 
the  country. 

The  chief  precipitation  of  moisture  in  the  arid  land  is  on 
and  about  the  mountains,  where  the  rain-fall  is  great,  and  it 
becomes  less,  other  things  being  equal,  with  distance  fron?.  these 
centers  of  precipitation.  It  is  thus  that  the  mountain  regions 
are  the  catchment  areas  for  distant  valleys  and  plains;  and 
an  agricultual  district  below,  where  the  industry  may  be  suc- 
cessful and  profitable,  depends  upon  the  catchment  area  above. 


30  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

Catchment  areas  and  farming  areas  are  thus  interdependent, 
though  separate.  The  farming  interests  on  the  irrigable  lands 
of  the  plains  and  valleys  must,  somehow  or  other,  be  able  to 
protect  the  catchment  areas  on  which  their  agriculture  depends. 

The  waters  of  the  springs  flow  into  creeks,  and  the  creeks 
into  smaller  rivers,  and  these  into  the  great  rivers  which  ulti- 
mately flow  to  the  sea.  In  the  main  these  are  the  waters  to  be 
used  in  agriculture,  and  by  some  means  they  must  be  divided 
between  the  different  agricultural  districts.  It  is  possible  to 
relegate  waters  to  lands  in  the  mountain  regions  where  the 
climate  and  soil  conditions  are  unfavorable  to  agriculture,  and 
this  is  being  done  to  a  large  extent  at  the  present  time,  greatly 
to  the  disadvantage  of  the  agricultural  interests  of  the  region. 
It  is  also  possible  to  relegate  the  waters  to  lands  too  far  away 
from  the  source  of  water  supply,  so  that  they  are  largely  lost 
in  the  sands  of  the  river  valleys  through  which  they  pass. 
Under  such  conditions  only  very  small  regions  can  be  culti- 
vated and  the  waters  are  chiefly  wasted.  For  example,  it  is 
possible  to  select  lands  low  down  on  a  given  stream  where  the 
waters  would  be  sufficient  to  irrigate  only  100,000  acres.  But 
if  the  same  stream  could  be  taken  out  on  lands  one  or  two 
hundred  miles  farther  up,  the  waters  would  be  sufficient  to 
irrigate  one  or  two  million  acres  of  land.  This  wasteful  use 
of  water  by  selecting  lands  too  far  down  the  stream  is  in  prog- 
ress and  needs  correction. 

The  controlling  agricultural  value  in  arid  lands  inheres  in 
the  water,  as  the  land  is  in  excess  of  the  water,  and  for  the  in- 
terest of  agriculture  waters  as  well  as  lands  must  be  divided 
and  distributed  to  the  people.  As  the  system  is  in  progress, 
in  general  the  lowest  lands  are  taken  first.  Gradually  higher 
and  still  higher  lands  are  taken.  Those  who  go  above  can 
easily  take  the  water  from  those  who  are  below.  The  indus- 
tries on  the  lower  lands  are  therefore  created  only  to  be  ulti- 
mately destroyed.  This  condition  of  affairs  has  already  been 
reached  on  many  rivers,  and  it  is  in  this  manner  that  the  agri- 
culture is  being  driven  to  the  mountains.  Only  the  farmers 
in  the  mountains  are  secure,  for  they  are  the  only  persons  from 
whom  the  waters  can  not  be  taken  away.  It  thus  happens 


PURPOSE  OF  THE  SURVEY.  31 

that  district  is  in  conflict  with  district,  and  these  conflicts  must, 
somehow  or  other,  be  settled,  and  future  conflicts  should  be 
avoided. 

Many  of  the  rivers  on  which  the  agricultural  lands  depend 
cross  State  lines,  and  State  is  in  conflict  with  State,  the  lower 
States  protesting-  against  the  abstraction  of  their  waters  by  the 
States  above.  These  conflicts  have  become  bitter  and  are 
likely  to  lead  to  serious  interstate  difficulties. 

Some  of  the  rivers  flow  part  way  in  the  territory  of  the 
United  States  and  part  way  in  the  territory  of  other  nations — 
in  the  British  possessions  at  the  north  and  the  possessions  of  the 
Republic  of  Mexico  at  the  south,  and  international  problems 
have  already  arisen,  and  in  the  future  they  will  arise  in  great 
magnitude. 

To  settle  these  international  problems,  interstate  problems, 
and  inter-district  problems,  all  of  the  facts  must  be  collected 
and  set  forth  to  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  which  is 
the  custodian  of  the  public  domain,  the  agency  for  the  settle- 
ment of  international  disputes,  and  the  authority  for  the  settle- 
ment of  interstate  disputes. 

By  unregulated  and  improvident  disposal  of  lands  and  water 
rights  the  General  Government  is  gradually  getting  into  unfor- 
tunate relations  with  the  agriculturists  of  many  districts  of 
country.  It  is  disposing  of  irrigable  lands  to  individuals  by 
homestead  settlement,  pre-emption  settlement,  timber-culture 
privileges,  and  desert-land  methods,  and  requiring  people  to 
irrigate  their  lands  as  a  part  of  the  contract  by  which  the  title  to 
the  lands  passes  from  the  Government  to  the  individual.  When 
these  people  have  thus  acquired  title  to  their  lands  by  processes 
of  irrigation  required  of  them  by  the  statutes,  they  will  in  many 
instances  be  unable  to  sustain  their  rights  to  the  use  of  the 
water  on  the  lands  which  they  have  selected  and  redeemed,  be- 
cause other  persons  will  have  acquired  similar  rights  to  other 
lands  above.  To  protect  those  above  is  to  destroy  those  below; 
to  protect  those  below  is  to  destroy  those  above.  One  party 
must  have  its  values  destroyed,  and  that  party  will  expect  reim- 
bursement for  lost  values  from  the  General  Government.  These 
claims  are  already  appearing  in  Congress,  and  in  the  near 


32  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

future  they  will  appear  in  large  numbers,  involving  many  mil- 
lions of  dollars.  The  real  problem  for  Congress  to  solve  is 
this :  How  can  the  waters  and  lands  of  the  arid  region  be  dis- 
tributed to  the  people  in  such  a  manner  that  the  waters  and 
lands  can  be  used  to  the  best  advantage  for  all  the  people ;  that 
no  agricultural  industries  may  be  developed  on  lands  where 
they  can  not  be  maintained,  and  that  inter-district,  interstate, 
and  international  conflicts  may  be  avoided!  The  interests 
involved  are  of  great  magnitude.  It  is  possible  by  the  neglect 
of  wise  prevision  to  doom  the  development  of  the  agriculture 
of  the  arid  lands  to  a  comparatively  small  area  in  the  aggre- 
gate,-or  by  wise  prevision  to  provide  for  the  development  of  a 
comparatively  large  area.  Between  the  minimum  and  maxi- 
mum possibilities  there  is  a  wide  difference,  the  one  being  two 
or  three  fold  that  of  the  other.  Under  the  best  conditions  an 
area  of  more  than  100,000,000  acres  can  be  redeemed  by  the 
use  of  the  streams,  while  by  the  most  unfavorable  conditions 
from  30,000,000  to  40,000,000  acres  only  can  be  redeemed. 

The  information  necessary  for  the  people  may  be  briefly 
characterized  in  the  following  manner :  The  people  should  be 
able  to  discover  what  lands  can  be  permanently  irrigated,  in 
order  that  they  may  occupy  them  and  make  their  homes  thereon, 
and  not  make  settlements  where  they  must  ultimately  be  aban- 
doned. The  people  should  know  definitely  and  specifically 
what  waters  they  may  be  entitled  to  for  irrigation,  and  that 
their  rights  can  not  be  impaired  except  by  acts  of  their  own. 
The  people  settling  upon  the  lands  should  be  informed  of  the 
catchment  areas  of  the  waters  which  they  use  in  agriculture, 
in  order  to  protect  them.  These  catchment  areas  are,  in  the 
Hiain,  mountain  forest  lands,  and  on  the  preservation  of  these 
forest  lands  the  agriculture  below  depends  to  an  important 
extent.  The  people  should  be  informed  of  the  manner  by 
which  the  waters  of  the  streams  can  be  brought  to  their  lands, 
and  how  the  waters  which  usually  run  to  waste  during  the  non- 
irrigating  season  may  be  stored  in  reservoirs  to  await  the  time 
of  growing  crops  when  they  are  needed.  These  are  facts  which 
the  settlers — the  farmers  who  develop  the  country  and  carry 
on  the  agricultural  industries— can  not  obtain  for  themselves. 


PLAN    OF   THE    SURVEY.  33 

There  is  another  reason  for  the  survey,  plainly  expressed  in 
the  statute  and  existing  in  the  conditions  under  which  the  agri- 
culture of  the  arid  region  may  be  controlled.  The  statute 
provides  for  the  selection  and  permanent  reservation  of  dam 
sites,  canal  sites,  and  reservoir  sites,  in  order  that  they  may 
not  fall  into  the  hands  of  individuals  and  corporations  for 
speculative  purposes,  and  that  they  may  be  held  in  the  hands 
of  the  General  Government  in  trust  for  the  use  of  the  people. 

It  is  thus  that  the  Director  interprets  the  purpose  of  the 
organic  law  of  the  Irrigation  Survey :  that  it  is  the  function  ol 
the  Survey  to  collect  information  for  the  General  Government, 
which  is  the  present  custodian  of  the  values  involved  and  the 
guardian  of  international  and  interstate  rights,  and  to  collect 
information  for  the  people  who  have  already  settled  on  the  lands 
and  are  to  occupy  them  in  the  future,  and  to  preserve  great 
rights  and  values  for  the  use  of  the  people  at  large.  How  it 
is  proposed  to  perform  these  functions  will  be  briefly  set  forth. 

PLAN  OF  THE  SURVEY. 

The  work  of  the  Irrigation  Survey  is  naturally  divided  into 
three  parts,  topographic,  hydraulic,  and  the  planning  of  works. 
These  are  very  distinct  branches  of  engineering.  The  work  is 
naturally  divided  in  the  field  in  this  manner,  and  a  distinct 
party  must  be  organized  to  carry  on  each  part ;  and  it  is  mani- 
festly economic  and  in  the  interest  of  good  work  that  men 
trained  in  the  special  work  of  each  department  should  be  em- 
ployed in  that  department,  as  by  such  a  division  of  labor  the 
greatest  skill  can  be  brought  to  bear  upon  the  several  problems 
and  the  best  results  obtained.  The  topographic  work  is  the 
basis  of  the  survey  and  it  does  not  differ  in  any  material  respect 
from  that  necessary  for  the  Geological  Survey.  Its  function 
is  that  of  discovery,  for  it  reveals  the  most  important  facts 
necessary  for  the  planning  of  a  system  of  irrigation  works. 
The  principal  facts  may  be  enumerated  as  follows : 

Under  the  statute  it  is  necessary  to  segregate  the  irrigable 
lands.  In  almost  every  valley  of  the  arid  region  there  is  more 
irrigable  land  than  the  waters  are  able  to  serve,  and  it  becomes 
10  GEOL.  ,  PT.  2 3 


34  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

necessary  in  making  the  selection  to  choose  the  best  lands  and 
those  that  can  be  most  economically  served  by  the  waters.  A 
topographic  survey  reveals  all  the  essential  facts  necessary  for 
wise  selection,  and  collects  and  assembles  the  facts  in  the 
cheapest  and  most  thorough  manner.  The  statute  also  pro- 
vides for  the  segregation  of  reservoir  sites.  To  carry  out  this 
provision  of  the  law  it  is  necessary  that  the  reservoir  sites  should 
be  discovered.  The  most  important  reservoir  sites  are  found 
in  mountains ;  some  are  found  in  the  foot-hills  and  others  in 
the  valleys  and  plains  below.  Whenever  it  is  possible  reser- 
voir sites  are  not  selected  along  the  course  of  streams,  but  in 
lateral  depressions,  especially  in  the  foot-hills,  valleys,  and 
plains.  To  discover  these  sites  the  entire  region  must  be  re- 
viewed instrumentally,  and  this  is  a  topographic  survey  in  all 
its  elements.  The  construction  of  the  maps  by  the  draughts- 
men after  the  facts  are  known  is  the  cheapest,  simplest,  and 
most  efficient  manner  of  assembling  the  facts  to  be  used. 

Having  discovered  reservoir  sites  and  irrigable  lands,  it 
becomes  necessary  to  discover  canal  sites  of  two  classes :  first, 
those  by  which  the  waters  can  be  delivered  from  the  streams 
to  the  reservoirs;  and,  second,  those  by  which  the  waters  are  to 
be  delivered  from  the  reservoirs  to  the  lands.  These  canal 
sites  must  be  discovered  in  connection  with  the  reservoir  sites 
themselves  and  must  be  related  to  them,  and  the  selection  of 
the  reservoir  sites  must  sometimes  be  governed  by  canal  con- 
ditions, for  a  good  reservoir  site  may  not  always  be  situated  in 
such  a  position  that  waters  can  be  cheaply  delivered  to  it  and 
from  it.  In  any  district  of  country,  the  irrigation  of  which  is 
to  be  planned,  it  becomes  necessary  to  discover  all  diverting 
dam  sites  on  the  stream,  all  possible  reservoir  sites,  and  all 
possible  canal  sites  connecting  the  diverting  dam  with  the 
reservoirs  and  connecting  the  reservoirs  with  the  lands,  in 
order  that  the  cheapest  and  best  system  can  be  planned.  All 
of  these  facts  are  revealed  in  the  simplest  and  the  cheapest 
manner  by  a  topographic  survey;  in  fact,  they  can  not  be 
properly  collected  in  any  other  manner. 

The  most  important  part  of  the  hydraulic  survey  relates  to 
the  measurement  of  water  supply.  The  statute  directly  pro- 


PLAN    OF    THE    SURVEY.  35 

vides  that  the  survey  shall  determine  to  what  extent  the  arid 
region  can  be  redeemed  by  irrigation,  but  the  same  problem  is 
involved  in  planning  the  irrigation  works  and  making  the  seg- 
regations which  the  statute  directs.  To  carry  out  these  pro- 
visions of  the  law  it  becomes  necessary  to  discover  what  waters 
can  be  used  for  irrigation  and  how  much  water  is  necessary 
for  irrigation.  The  gauging  of  all  the  streams  of  the  arid 
region  by  current  meters  and  nilometers,  or  river-height  gauges, 
would  be  enormously  expensive  and  require  a  long  period  of 
time.  A  more  practical,  accurate  and  economic  system  is 
possible,  which  may  be  briefly  described  as  follows :  The  sev- 
eral drainage  areas,  which  in  the  aggregate  amount  to  all  of 
the  country  surveyed,  may  be  determined.  A  region  like  that 
drained  by  some  great  rivers,  as  the  Missouri,  the  Yellowstone, 
the  Platte,  the  Arkansas,  or  the  Rio  Grande,  may  be  deter- 
mined in  the  following  manner :  Its  several  catchment  areas, 
which  must  be  considered  independently  in  planning  a  system 
of  works,  can  all  be  determined,  and  one  or  more  typical 
streams  in  one  or  more  of  these  several  catchment  areas  may 
be  gauged,  and  with  the  data  thus  obtained — and  certain  other 
data,  which  need  not  for  this  brief  discussion  be  explained — 
the  water  supply  of  the  several  drainage  areas  may  be  discov- 
ered. But  there  are  two  factors  of  importance  to  the  hydrog- 
rapher  in  measuring  a  drainage  basin :  First,  the  entire  hori- 
zontal area  must  be  known  with  reasonable  accuracy,  for  that 
is  the  whole  surface  presented  to  the  clouds  as  a  catchment 
district.  But  this  fails  to  meet  all  the  wants.  The  declivities 
must  be  determined. 

If  the  country  is  flat,  and  covered  with  sands  and  loose  ma- 
terial— as  flat  countries  usually  are — the  rains  fall  upon  it  and 
are  absorbed  and  reevaporated ;  but  as  the  declivities  increase, 
more  water  flows  into  the  channels.  In  the  arid  lands  under 
investigation  the  two  extremes  of  this  condition  are  found.  In 
some  regions  the  lands  are  so  flat  and  sandy  that  no  waters 
are  collected  in  the  principal  streams ;  all  of  the  rain-fall  is 
absorbed  and  evaporated.  In  other  regions  the  declivities  are 
so  great  and  the  surfaces  are  composed  so  largely  of  naked, 
solid  rock,  that  almost  the  entire  rain-fall  is  gathered  into  chan- 


.')')  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    AX.NTAL    REPORT. 

nels.  It  therefore  becomes  necessary  to  determine  the  areas 
and  declivities  of  catchment  basins.  All  portions  of  the  arid 
region  constitute  parts  of  one  or  another  drainage  basin.  It 
therefore  becomes  necessary  to  determine  the  areas  and  declivi- 
ties of  the  entire  country.  This  is  the  topographic  survey  as 
described  above.  Such  survey,  therefore,  has  a  double  pur- 
pose, namely,  that  required  by  the  statutes  in  making  the 
selection  of  dam  sites,  canal  sites,  reservoir  sites,  and  irrigable 
lands,  and  that  required  by  the  hydraulic  survey  in  determining 
the  amount  of  water  which  can  be  used  in  irrigation  and  the 
amount  which  the  canals  will  be  required  to  carry  and  the 
amount  which  the  reservoirs  will  be  required  to  hold.  The 
topographic  survey  is  therefore  the  basis  of  all  the  work. 

The  work  of  the  hydrographic  survey  consists  of  the  follow- 
ing principal  elements :  First,  the  gauging  of  typical  streams. 
Second,  the  gathering  of  rain-gauge  records  from  the  people 
who  are  interested  in  the  subject  and  who  in  the  aggregate 
make  such  observations  on  an  elaborate  scale.  In  some  few 
cases  these  rain-gauge  records  are  supplemented  by  records 
kept  by  the  hydrographers.  By  the  topographic  survey  the 
areas  and  declivities  of  catchment  basins  are  determined ;  by 
the  rain-gauging  records  the  rain-fall  is  determined ;  by  the 
stream-gauging  operations  the  flow  of  typical  streams  from 
known  areas  and  declivities  with  known  rain-fall  is  determined. 
Having  thus  obtained  the  run-off  from  typical  areas,  we  are 
able  to  compute  the  run-off  from  each  and  all  of  the  areas  in 
a  manner  sufficiently  accurate  for  the  purpose  in  view.  Third, 
the  determination  of  the  amount  of  evaporation  from  "reservoir 
surfaces  under  varying  climatic  conditions ;  and  this  is  neces- 
sary in  order  that  the  waste  from  the  reservoirs  from  this 
source  may  be  determined.  Fourth,  to  measure  and  compute 
the  amount  of  sediment  carried  by  the  streams.  This  is  neces- 
sary to  determine  the  life  of  the  reservoirs,  or  the  length  of 
time  it  will  require  to  silt  them  full  if  methods  to  relieve  them 
of  sediment  are  not  used.  Fifth,  to  determine  the  duty  of 
water,  that  is,  the  amount  of  water  which  is  necessary  to  irri- 
gate an  acre  of  land  under  the  varying  conditions  presented  in 
the  arid  region. 


PLAN    OF   THE    SURVEY.  o7 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  topographic  work  is  preliminary 
to  the  hydrographic  work  and  to  the  engineering  work.  The 
hydrographic  work  is  also  preliminary  to  the  engineering  work, 
which  is  now  to  be  described. 

The  duties  of  the  officers  of  the  engineering  branch  of  the 
Survey  are,  to  select  from  all  of  the  discovered  dam  sites  the 
best ;  to  select  from  all  of  the  discovered  reservoir  sites  the 
best ;  to  select  from  all  of  the  canal  sites  the  best ;  and  to 
select  from  all  of  the  irrigable  lands  the  best  tracts.  Having 
made  these  selections  for  any  basin,  they  have  by  that  process 
planned  a  system  of  irrigation.  It  is  now  their  duty  to  deter- 
mine its  cost.  For  this  purpose  they  examine  with  care  the 
special  diverting  dam  sites  and  plan  the  works  and  determine 
the  elements  of  cost  quantitatively ;  that  is,  the  length,  height, 
width  and  slopes  of  the  dam,  the  amount  of  material  which 
must  enter  into  its  construction  and  the  availability  of  that 
material,  and  the  amount  of  labor  necessary  to  complete  the 
work.  In  the  same  manner  they  examine  the  sites  of  the  res- 
ervoirs minutely  and  furnish  plans  and  costs  of  the  same.  They 
also  survey  on  the  ground-  the  canal  lines  which  have  been 
selected,  determine  the  necessary  capacity  of  the  canals  and 
their  gradients,  find  how  much  cutting  and  filling  must  be 
done,  and  discover  the  cost  of  all  the  work.  They  then  dis- 
cover, in  a  more  minute  way,  by  township  and  section,  or  by 
Land-Office  designations,  the  specific  tracts  which  can  be  irri- 
gated under  the  system.  Finally,  all  of  the  facts  discovered 
by  the  topographic,  hydrographic  and  construction  engineers, 
are  assembled  on  maps,  plans,  sections  and  other  diagrams, 
with  tables  and  explanatory  text,  to  be  reported  to  the  Con- 
gress and  especially  to  the  people  of  the  arid  regions. 

It  is  proposed  to  set  forth  in  a  brief  way  the  manner  in 
which  the  above  plan  of  work  has  been  inaugurated. 

As  the  appropriation  for  the  Irrigation  Survey  for  the  fiscal 
year  ending  June  30,  1890,  was  made  available  upon  the  pas- 
sa^e  of  the  act,  it  was  decided  to  inaugurate  the  work  in  the 

c?  '  " 

spring;  and  this  was  highly  advantageous,  as  it  enabled  the 
survey  to  be  prosecuted  during  the  season  of  irrigation,  when 
the  problems  involved  could  be  studied  to  the  best  advantage. 


38  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

The  Director  therefore  prepared  a  general  plan  for  the  com- 
mencement of  operations  and  submitted  the  same  to  the  hon- 
orable the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  for  his  approval,  which  it 
received.  The  following  is  the  plan  submitted : 


DETAILS  OF  THE  PLAN  OF  OPERATIONS. 

DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR, 
UNITED  STATES  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY, 

Washington,  D.  C.,  May  18,  1889. 
The  SECRETARY  OF  THE  INTERIOR: 

SIR:  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  plan  for  the  opera- 
tions of  the  irrigation  survey  of  the  arid  lands. 

The  survey  was  commenced  in  the  fall  of  1888,  under  the  author- 
ity of  the  statute  approved  October  2,  1888,  as  follows: 

For  the  purpose  of  investigating  the  extent  to  which  the  arid  region  of  the  United 
States  can  be  redeemed  by  irrigation,  and  the  segregation  of  the  irrigable  lands  in- 
such  arid  region,  and  for  the  selection  of  sites  for  reservoirs  and  other  hydraulic 
works  necessary  for  the  storage  and  utilization  of  water  for  irrigation,  and  the  pre- 
vention of  floods  and  overflows,  and  to  make  the  necessary  maps,  including  the  pay 
of  employes  in  field  and  in  office,  the  cost  of  all  instruments,  apparatus  and  ma- 
terials, and  all  other  necessary  expenses  connected  therewith,  the  work  to  be  per- 
formed by  the  Geological  Survey,  under  the  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  the  In- 
terior, the  sum  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  or  so  much  thereof  as  may  be 
necessary.  And  the  Director  of  the  Geological  Survey,  under  the  supervision  of  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior,  shall  make  a  report  to  Congress  on  the  first  Monday  in 
December  of  each  year,  showing  in  detail  how  the  said  money  has  been  expended, 
the  amount  used  for  actual  survey  and  engineer  work  in  the  field  in  locating  sites 
for  reservoirs,  and  an  itemized  account  of  the  expenditures  under  this  appropriation. 
And  all  the  lands  which  may  hereafter  be  designated  or  selected  by  such  United 
States  surveys  for  sites  for  reservoirs,  ditches,  or  canals  for  irrigation  purposes,  and 
all  the  lands  made  susceptible  of  irrigation  by  such  reservoirs,  ditches  or  canals  are 
from  this  time  henceforth  hereby  reserved  from  sale  as  the  property  of  the  United 
States,  and  shall  not  be  subject  after  the  passage  of  this  act  to  entry,  settlement  or 
occupation  until  further  provided  by  law.  Provided,  That  the  President  may  at 
any  time  in  his  discretion  by  proclamation  open  any  portion  or  all  of  the  lands  re- 
served by  this  provision  to  settlement  under  the  homestead  laws.  (Vide  Statutes  of 
the  United  States  of  America,  passed  at  the  first  session  of  the  Fiftieth  Congress, 
1887-1888,  pp.  526-527.) 

Under  the  above  statute  the  work  has  been  organized  and  contin- 
ued to  the  present  time.  The  following  is  a  plan  for  the  continuation 
of  the  work  as  provided  for  by  the  statute  approved  March  2,  1889: 

Irrigation  Survey:  For  the  purpose  of  investigating  the  extent  to  which  the  arid 
region  of  the  United  States  can  be  redeemed  by  irrigation  and  the  segregation  of 
irrigable  lands  in  such  arid  region,  and  for  the  selection  of  sites  for  reservoirs  and 
other  hydraulic  works  necessary  for  the  storage  and  utilization  of  water  for  irriga- 
tion, and  for  ascertaining  the  cost  thereof,  and  the  prevention  of  floods  and  over- 


DETAILS    OF    THE    PLAN.  39 

flows,  and  to  make  the  necessary  maps,  including  the  pay  of  employes  in  field 
and  in  office,  the  cost  of  all  instruments,  apparatus,  and  materials,  and  all  other 
necessary  expenses  connected  therewith,  the  work  to  be  performed  by  the  Geolog- 
ical Survey  under  the  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  of  which  sum  fifty  thousand  dollars  shall  be  immedi- 
ately available,  and  the  Director  of  the  Geological  Survey,  under  the  supervision  of 
the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  shall  make  a  report  to  Congress  on  the  first  Monday 
in  December  of  each  year,  showing  in  detail  how  the  said  money  has  been  expended, 
the  amount  used  for  actual  survey  and  engineering  work  in  the  field  in  locating 
sites  for  reservoirs,  and  an  itemized  account  of  the  expenditures  under  this  and  any 
future  appropriation.  (Vide  Statutes  of  the  United  States  of  America,  passed  at 
the  second  session  of  the  Fiftieth  Congress,  1888-1889,  pp.  960-961.) 

The  work  in  this  survey  is  properly  divided  into  three  parts,  namely: 

I.  The  Topographic  Survey. 
II.  The  Hydraulic  Survey. 

III.  The  Engineering  Survey. 

It  is  recommended  that  work  be  prosecuted  in  Montana,  Colorado, 
New  Mexico,  Idaho,  Nevada  and  California. 

The  appropriation  is  inadequate  to  operate  economically  in  all  of 
the  States  and  Territories  where  arid  lands  exist,  and  hence  where 
agriculture  is  dependent  on  irrigation.  It  therefore  became  neces- 
sary on  the  inauguration  of  the  work  to  make  selections.  The  choice 
made  has  been  governed  in  the  main  by  the  following  considerations. 

It  seems  desirable  to  present  some  finished  work  to  Congress  at  the 
earliest  possible  date,  and  for  this  reason  regions  have  been  selected 
where  topographic  maps  were  already  finished  or  in  process  of  con- 
struction, and  where  rivers  had  already  been  gauged  and  their  vol- 
umes approximately  determined. 

It  also  seems  desirable  to  select  as  far  as  possible  regions  of  coun- 
try already  well  settled,  and  where  the  problems  presented  were 
pressing  for  speedy  solution.  It  should  be  noticed  that  this  last  con- 
sideration compels  the  Survey  to  attack  the  most  difficult  problems 
first,  a  condition  in  some  respects  unfortunate. 

In  order  to  set  forth  the  purposes  and  methods  of  the  Irrigation 
Survey,  I  beg  permission  to  refer  the  Secretary  to  accompanying 
documents,  namely : 

(1)  Letter  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  transmitting,  in  re- 
sponse to  Senate  resolution  of  February  13,  1888,  report  concerning 
the  irrigation  of  certain  lands. 

(2)  Letter  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  transmitting,  in  re- 
sponse to  Senate  resolution  of  March  27,  1888,  report  relative  to  the 
reservoirs  for  the  storage  of  water  in  the  arid  regions  of  the  United 
States. 

(3)  Letter  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  transmitting,  in  pur- 
suance of  law,  report  of  the  Geological  Survey  on  the  subject  of  irri- 
gation. 


40  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

TOPOGRAPHIC    OPERATIONS. 

It  is  proposed  to  continue  the  topographic  work  under  the  general 
supervision  of  Mr.  A.  H.  Thompson. 

MONTANA. 

That  the  work  in  Montana  be  extended  eastward  from  the  100th 
meridian  along  the  valley  of  the  Yellowstone  River,  including  atlas- 
sheets,  long.  109°  00',  lat.  45°  30',  and  long.  109°  30',  lat.  45C  30',  an 
approximate  area  of  2,000  square  miles. 

That  the  organization  to  complete  this  work  consist  of  two  topo- 
graphic parties,  under  the  supervision  of  Mr.  Frank  Tweedy,  with 
Mr.  Jeremiah  Ahern  as  assistant. 

That  each  topographic  party  consist  of  a  chief,  two  field  assistants, 
two  packers  or  teamsters,  and  one  cook. 

That  the  field-work  be  done  on  a  scale  of  1  inch  to  i  mile,  and  with 
sufficient  detail  to  construct  a  map  on  the  scale  of  1  inch  to  2  miles, 
in  contours  having  intervals  in  the  valleys  of  20  feet  and  in  the 
rougher  country  of  50  and  100  feet. 

That  these  parties  commence  field-work  about  May  15  and  continue 
until  October  15. 

ESTIMATE   OF  EXPENSES. 

For  two  topographic  parties :  two  chiefs  and  two  permanent  assistants,  work 
to  commence  May  15  and  continue  five  months  in  the  season  of  1889  and 
one  month  in  the  season  of  1890,  area  2,000  square  miles $7, 000 

COLORADO. 

That  the  area  to  be  surveyed  in  Colorado  be  that  included  in  the 
drainage  basin  of  the  Arkansas  River  as  far  east  as  the  102d  meridian 
or-such  portions  as  are  now  unmapped,  an  approximate  area  of  28,000 
square  miles.  The  field-work  to  be  done  on  a  scale  of  1  inch  to  1 
mile,  and  in  sufficient  detail  to  construct  maps  on  the  scale  of  1  inch 
to  2  miles,  in  contours  having  intervals  of  20  feet  in  the  plains  region 
and  the  mountain  valleys,  50  feet  in  foothills,  and  100  feet  in  higher 
regions.  That  the  organization  to  perform  this  work  consist  of  one 
triangulation  and  supervision  and  four  topographic  parties,  with 
such  other  smaller  organizations  as  may  be  necessary,  the  whole  to 
be  under  the  immediate  charge  of  Mr.  Willard  D.  Johnson,  with 
Messrs.  C.  H.  Fitch,  Morris  Bien,  John  W.  Hays,  and  R.  C.  McKin- 
ney  as  assistants  in  charge  of  parties.  The  triangulation  party  to  be 
organized  with  Mr.  Johnson  as  chief,  and  to  consist,  besides  himself, 
of  one  field  assistant,  two  teamsters  and  one  cook.  The  topographic 
parties  to  consist,  besides  the  chief,  of  from  two  to  four  field  assist- 
ants, one  teamster,  and  one  to  three  cooks,  as  the  exigencies  of  the 
work  demand.  These  parties  to  take  the  field  in  May  and  continue 
work  until  late  in  October. 


DETAILS    OF    THE    PLAN.  41 

ESTIMATE  OF  EXPENSES. 

For  one  triangulation  and  four  topographic  parties  :  five  chiefs  of  parties 
and  ten  permanent  assistants  ;  work  to  commence  in  May,  and  continue 
five  months  in  the  season  of  1889  and  two  months  in  the  season-of  1890  ; 
area  28,000  square  miles $37, 000 

NEW    MEXICO. 

That  the  work  be  prosecuted  in  New  Mexico  in  the  drainage  basins 
of  the  Rio  Grande  and  Chama  Rivers,  including  atlas-sheets,  long. 
106°  00'  lat.  36°  00',  long.  106°  30'  lat.  36°  00',  long.  106°  30'  lat.  36° 
30',  in  all  an  area  of  approximately  3,000  square  miles. 

That  the  organization  to  complete  this  work  consist  of  one  tri- 
angulation and  supervision  and  two  topographic  parties,  all  under 
charge  of  Mr.  Arthur  P.  Davis,  with  Mr.  R.  Henry  Phillips  as  assist- 
ant. That  the  triangulation  and  supervision  party  consist  of  Mr. 
Davis  as  chief,  one  assistant,  two  packers,  and  one  cook.  That  each 
topographic  party  consist,  besides  its  chief,  of  two  field  assistants, 
two  teamsters  and  one  cook. 

That  field-work  be  done  on  a  scale  of  1  inch  to  1  mile,  and  with  suf- 
ficient detail  to  construct  a  map  on  a  scale  of  1  inch  to  2  miles,  in 
contours  having  intervals  in  the  valleys  of  20  feet,  and  in  the  mount- 
ainous country  of  50  or  100  feet  as  the  grade  of  slope  demands. 

That  field-work  commence  about  June  15  and  continue  until  Oc- 
tober 15. 

ESTIMATE  OF  EXPENSES. 

For  one  triangulation  and  two  topographic  parties:  three  chiefs  and  three 
permanent  assistants;  work  to  commence  June  15  and  continue  four 
months  in  the  season  of  1889,  and  one  month  in  the  season  of  1890  ;  area 
3,000  square  miles $15, 000 

IDAHO. 

That  work  be  carried  on  in  the  valley  of  the  Snake  River,  start- 
ing from  the  vicinity  of  Boise"  City  and  working  east  on  atlas-sheets, 
long.  115°  00'  lat.  43°  00',  long.  114°  30'  lat.  43°  00',  and  long.  114° 
00'  lat.  43°  00'. 

The  field-work  to  be  on  a  scale  of  1  inch  to  1  mile,  and  in  suffi- 
cient detail  to  construct  maps  on  a  scale  of  1  inch  to  2  miles,  in  con- 
tours having  intervals  of  20  to  100  feet,  as  the  character  of  the  relief 
of  the  country  demands;  that  an  area  of  approximately  3,000  square 
miles  be  surveyed,  the  organization  to  do  this  work  to  consist  of  two 
topographic  parties  under  immediate  charge  of  Mr.  William  T. 
Griswold,  with  Mr.  E.  T.  Perkins  as  assistant.  These  parties  to  com- 
prise, besides  the  persons  in  charge,  two  field  assistants,  two 
teamsters,  and  one  cook  each.  These  parties  to  take  the  field  June  1 
and  continue  work,  if  the  season  permit,  until  November  1. 


42  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

ESTIMATE  OF  EXPENSES. 

For  two  topographic  parties:  two  chiefs  and  two  permanent  assistants; 
work  to  commence  June  1,  1889,  and  continue  five  months  in  the  season 
of  1889,  and  one  month  in  the  season  of  1890  ;  area  3.000  square  miles $14, 000 

NEVADA   AND   CALIFORNIA. 

It  is  proposed  to  organize  the  topographic  work  in  these  States 
under  one  division. 

That  the  area  to  ba  surveyed  in  California  comprise  such  portions 
of  the  drainage  basins  of  the  Yuba,  American,  Cosumne,  Mokelumiie, 
Stanislaus,  Truckee  and  Carson  Rivers,  as  are  now  unmapped  and 
included  in  atlas-sheets,  long.  120°  00'  lat.  38°  30',  long.  120°  00' 
lat.  39°  00',  and  long.  121°  00'  lat  38°  00',  in  all  about  3,000  square 
miles. 

That  the  area  to  be  surveyed  in  Nevada  comprise  such  portions  of 
the  drainage  basins  of  the  Truckee  and  Carson  Rivers  as  are  included 
on  atlas-sheets,  long.  119°  00'  lat.  38°  30',  long.  119°  30'  lat.  38°  00', 
long.  119°  30'  lat.  38°  30',  and  long.  119°  30'  lat.  39°  00',  in  all  about 
4,000  square  miles. 

The  area  in  both  States  to  be  surveyed  with  sufficient  detail  to  con- 
struct a  map  on  the  scale  of  1  inch  to  2  miles,  and  in  contours  having 
intervals  in  the  valleys  of  20  feet,  in  the  rougher  portions  of  the  coun- 
try 50  feet,  and  in  the  higher  mountains  100  feet. 

That  the  organization  to  perform  the  work  in  both  States  consist 
of  one  triangulation  and  supervision,  and  four  topographic  parties, 
with  such  other  smaller  organizations  as  may  from  time  to  time  be 
necessary,  the  whole  to  be  under  the  immediate  supervision  of  Mr. 
E.  M.  Douglas,  with  Messrs.  A.  F.  Dunnington,  R.  H.  McKee,  G. 
T.  Verrill,  and  R.  H.  Chapman  as  assistants  in  charge  of  parties. 
The  triangulation  party,  besides  Mr.  Douglas  as  chief,  to  consist  of 
one  assistant,  two  packers,  and  one  cook.  Each  topographic  party, 
besides  its  chief,  to  consist  of  two  or  three  field  assistants,  as  the  exi- 
gencies of  the  work  demand,  two  packers  or  teamsters,  and  one  cook 
These  parties  to  take  the  field  in  May  and  continue  work  till  the  last 
of  October. 

ESTIMATE  OF   EXPENSES. 

For  one  triangulation  and  four  topographic  parties:  five  chiefs  of  parties  and 
six  permanent  assistants;  work  to  commence  May  15,  1889,  and  continue 
five  months  in  the  season  of  1889,  and  one  month  in  the  season  of  1890  ; 
7,000  square  miles $35, 500 

Supervision,  including  salary  of  chief  topographer  in  charge  and  his  travel- 
ing expenses 6, 000 

Disbursements,  including  salary  of  disbursing  agent  and  his  traveling  ex- 
penses   2, 500 

Instruments 3, 000 


DETAILS    OF    THE    PLAN.  43 


RECAPITULATION. 


California  and  Nevada $35, 500 

Colorado 37..  000 

Idaho 14,000 

Montana 7, 000 

New  Mexico, 15, 000 


Supervision $6, 000 

Disbursements 2, 500 

Instruments 3, 000 


Total $120,000 


HYDRAULIC    WORK. 

The  operations  of  the  hydraulic  survey  and  of  the  engineering 
survey  up  to  the  present  time  have  been  under  the  charge  of  Capt.  C. 
E.  Button,  of  the  Ordnance  Corps,  now  on  duty  with  the  Geological 
Survey.  It  is  proposed  to  continue  this  arrangement  for  th'e  pres- 
ent and  until  a  chief  hydrographer  is  appointed,  when  the  work  will 
be  divided. 

In  Montana  no  hydraulic  work  has  been  projected  for  the  present 
season.  Mr.  R.  S.  Tarr  is  now  at  Helena,  but  he  has  been  sent  there 
to  gather  information  required  for  the  Senate  committee,  for  which 
duty  he  has  proved  himself  to  be  very  apt,  and  it  will  for  the  next 
two  months  probably  occupy  all  his  time. 

In  Wyoming  the  territorial  engineer,  Mr.  Mead,  is  starting  the 
gauging  of  several  streams  and  has  been  promised  whatever  coopera- 
tion can  be  afforded  him. 

In  the  South  Platte  the  State  of  Colorado  has  appropriated  money 
for  the  guaging,  and  the  new  State  engineer  prefers  to  conduct  it 
himself  without  cooperation  or  overlapping  by  this  Survey. 

In  the  Arkansas  Valley  Mr.  Robertson  has  been  stationed,  with 
Mr.  Irving  as  an  assistant,  and  he  is  instructed  to  establish  a  per- 
manent station  at  Canyon  City,  another  at  Buena  Vista,  and  a  third 
near  Huerfano,  and  minor  stations  at  other  points. 

In  the  Rio  Grande  Mr.  George  T.  Quinby  has  been  ordered  to 
establish  one  first-class  station  in  the  San  Luis  Valley  and  to  main- 
tain the  one  at  Embudo ;  also  to  keep  a  station  on  the  Jemez  and  on 
the  Cham  a,  and  also  to  keep  records  of  the  flow  of  the  more  impor- 
tant tributaries  of  the  Rio  Grande.  These  have  been  well  reconnoi- 
tered  during  the  past  winter  and  spring  by  the  assistants  at  Embudo. 
Mr.  Williams  is  now  at  El  Paso  establishing  a  gauging  station. 

Mr.  Farish  has  been  instructed  to  establish  gauging  stations  on 
the  Gila,  Salt,  and  Verde  Rivers,  and  to  measure  the  flow  of  smaller 
streams  in  the  Gila  drainage. 

Mr.  Trowbridge  has  been  sent  to  California  to  acquaint  himself 
with  the  progress  made  by  the  State  survey  in  gauging  the  rivers 
from  the  Yuba  to  the  Stanislaus  and  to  take  such  further  action  in 
the  same  direction  as  may  be  necessary. 

Mr.  Harrison  has  been  sent  to  the  Lahontan  basin  to  establish 
stations  on  the  Truckee  River  and  its  tributaries  and  on  the  Carson 
River. 


44  IRRIGATION    SURVEY — FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

Mr.  Hopson  has  been  sent  to  Boise*  City  to  prepare  for  the  gauging 
of  the  Snake  River  and  its  tributaries.  This  will  be  heavy  work, 
and  as  soon  as  practicable  another  man  will  be  sent  there,  either  Mr. 
Williams  or  Mr.  Newell. 

In  addition  to  gauging  work,  it  is  proposed  to  establish  at  selected 
convenient  stations  evaporation  pans.  The  selection  of  places  has 
in  some  cases  been  determined,  in  others  not,  but  all  will  be  deter- 
mined soon.  In  conjunction  with  evaporation  measurements  it  will 
be  necessary  to  use  the  thermometer,  the  psychrometer,  and  the  rain- 
gauge.  Such  stations  it  is  proposed  to  make  first-class  stations. 
Their  equipment  will  be  : 

(1)  Inclined  scale  for  registering  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  stream. 

(2)  Evaporating  pan. 

(3)  Thermometer  and  whirled  psychrometer. 

(4)  Rain-gauge. 

The  gauging  of  streams  with  the  current  meter  will  be  performed 
by  a  migratory  party  moving  from  station  to  station.  It  will  be 
necessary  to  keep  a  permanent  employe*  at  such  stations. 

Second-class  stations  will  also  be  established  at  points  at  which 
only  a  part  of  the  above  observations  will  be  made.  The  observers 
of  the  second  class  will  probably  have  to  be  paid  a  small  compensa- 
tion, which  it  is  hoped  will  not  exceed  $10  per  month.  The  probable 
number  will  not  be  large. 

Third-class  stations  will  be  selected  largely  at  high  altitudes,  though 
not  exclusively  so,  at  which  only  rain-gauges  will  be  kept.  Skilled 
meteorologists,  with  much  practical  experience,  state  that  observa- 
tions with  the  psychrometer  must  be  made  by  well-trained  observers 
in  order  to  be  of  any  value,  and  they  all  discourage  the  idea  of  plac- 
ing such  instruments  in  the  hands  of  the  untrained.  In  a  few  cases 
it  will  be  practicable  to  find  intelligent  volunteers  who  may  be  in- 
trusted with  them,  but  in  most  cases  not. 

Mr.  Newell  has  spent  some  time  and  attention  in  examining  the 
question  of  measuring  transported  sediments.  The  problem  is  a  diffi- 
cult one.  A  beginning  has  been  made,  however,  and  it  is  proposed 
that  he  shall  continue  his  researches.  At  present  it  seems  necessary 
to  experiment  for  a  time  in  order  to  ascertain  by  what  processes  and 
apparatus  the  problem  shall  be  attacked. 

Mr.  Curtis  will  be  recalled  to  Washington  immediately  to  organize 
a  branch  of  this  office  for  systematizing  observations,  preparing  blank 
forms  and  reports,  and  proper  forms  of  records  of  all  results  of  ob- 
servations made  in  stream-gauging,  evaporation  and  meteorology. 

ESTIMATE  OF  EXPENSES. 

Salary  of  F.  H.  Newell $1, 500 

Salary  of  G.  E.  Curtis 1, 400 

Salary  of  J.  B.  Williams 1 , 200 


DETAILS    OF   THE    PLAN.  45 

Salary  of  eight  assistants,  at  $900 $7, 200 

Salary  of  four  assistants,  at  $720 2, 880 

Total 14, 180 

Purchase  of  instruments 4, 000 

General  field  and  traveling  expenses 8, 000 

Hired  men 3, 020 

Paid  observers , 3, 000 


Total  hydrographic  work 32, 200 

ENGINEERING    SURVEY. 

It  is  recommended  that  this  work  be  continued  under  the  charge 
of  Capt.  C.  E.  Button,  and  that  work  be  prosecuted  as  follows  : 

UPPER  MISSOURI  DIVISION. 

It  is  proposed  to  place  this  work  under  the  charge  of  Mr.  H.  M. 
Wilson. 

The  work  in  this  division  being  in  the  least  advanced  state  of  de- 
velopment, and  its  general  features  being  imperfectly  known,  the 
first  season  should  be  devoted  mainly  to  a  preliminary  reconnais- 
sance. It  is  proposed  to  examine  the  general  irrigation  problem  in — 

(a)  The  Forks  of  the  Missouri;  i.  e.,  the  Gallatin,  Madison  and  Jef- 
ferson Valleys. 

(6)  The  Yellowstone  Valley  from  the  Park  to  Miles  City,  or  per- 
haps Grlendive. 

(c)  The  Missouri  from  the  junction  of  the  Forks  to  Fort  Benton. 

(d)  The  Milk  River  country. 

ESTIMATE  OP  EXPENSES. 

Salary  of  engineer $2,400 

Field  assistants • 1, 500 

Hired  men 1,500 

Field  supplies,  instruments,  animals,  forage,  incidentals 2, 600 


Total 8, 000 

COLORADO   DIVISION. 

It  is  proposed  to  place  this  work  under  the  charge  of  Mr.  Edwin  S. 
Nettleton. 

It  is  proposed  to  make  a  study  of  the  Arkansas  valley  from  its 
head  waters  to  the  one  hundredth  meridian,  with  a  view  of  project- 
ing the  best  method  of  irrigation  upon  the  most  comprehensive  plan  ; 
also  to  select  the  most  important  or  principal  reservoir  sites  ;  to  plan 
the  construction  of  several  important  reservoirs  and  estimate  costs. 

The  study  of  the  Arkansas  system  includes  also  the  study  of  the 
Huerf  ano  as  its  most  important  tributary,  in  which  system  reservoirs 


46  IRRIGATION    SURVEY— FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

will  be  conspicuous. .  There  are  several  fine  sites  for  very  large  reser- 
voirs in  the  Huerfano  drainage,  with  an  abundance  of  water  to  fill 
them. 

ESTIMATE  OP  EXPENSES. 

Salary  of  supervising  engineer,  in  charge  also  of  the  division $4, 000 

Field  assistants 4, 500 

Hired  men 4, 000 

Field  supplies,  instruments,  animals,  forage,  and  incidental  expenses 7, 000 

Total 19, 500 

NEW   MEXICO  DIVISION. 

It  is  proposed  to  place  this  work  under  the  charge  of  Mr.  Alexan- 
der O.  Brodie. 

The  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  presents  several  natural  subdivisions  : 

(a)  The  San  Luis  Valley. 

(6)  The  Espanola  Valley,  including  the  valley  of  the  Chama  and 
its  tributaries. 

(o)  The  Jemez  Valley. 

(d)  The  Middle.  Rio  Grande,  extending  from  Bernalillo  to  San 
Marcial  and  including  the  East  Puerco  drainage. 

(e)  The  Jornada  del  Muerto  and  Mesilla  Valley  ; '  the  Taos  Valley 
would  also  make  an  interesting  study  on  a  smaller  scale. 

It  is  proposed  in  the  coming  season  to  make  a  special  study  of  the 
project  for  a  dam  at  El  Paso,  with  settling  reservoirs  in  the  trough  of 
the  Rio  Grande  through  the  Jornada  del  Muerto,  and  a  project  for  a 
canal  starting  fro  >  i  Fort  Selden  to  irrigate  the  Mesilla  Valley,  and 
another  starting  at  El  Paso  to  irrigate  the  valley  below  that  town. 
It  is  also  proposed  to  study  the  Jemez  subdivision  in  full  detail,  and, 
if  practicable,  the  East  Puerco,  which  is  one  of  the  most  promising 
fields. 

ESTIMATE  OF  EXPENSES. 

Salary  of  engineer $8, 000 

Field  assistants 2, 000 

Hired  men -. 1, 800 

Field  supplies,  instruments,  animals,  forage,  incidentals 3, 200 

Total 10, 000 

IDAHO   DIVISION. 

It  is  proposed  to  place  this  work  under  the  charge  of  Mr.  A.  D. 
Foote. 

The  projected  work  is  the  study  of  the  capabilities  of  this  valley 
above  the  Payette  and  the  development  of  plans  for  utilizing  a  vast 
area  amounting  to  nearly  4,000,000  acres,  or  over  6,000  square  miles. 
This  field  is  so  extensive  that  probably  most  of  the  work  the  present 
year  will  be  of  a  reconnaissance  character,  though  the  Bois<^  River 
drainage  is  now  well  known  and  the  Payette  to  some  extent. 


'  r 

OF  THE 
COLLEGE  OP 


DETAILS    OF    THE    PLAN.  47 

In  general  the  plans  of  work  and  their  details  will  be  more  fully 
matured  after  an  opportunity  to  confer  with  the  division  and  super- 
vising engineers  is  presented. 

ESTIMATE  OP  EXPENSES. 

Salary  of  engineer ; $3, 000 

Field  assistants 2, 000 

Hired  men 2,000 

Field  supplies,  instruments,  animals,  forage,  and  incidentals 4, 000 

Total : 11 , 000 

LAHONTAN   DIVISION. 

This  division  embraces  Nevada  and  that  portion  of  California  that 
drains  eastward  into  Nevada. 

It  is  proposed  to  place  this  work  under  the  charge  of  Mr.  Lyman 
Bridges. 

For  this  division  the  work  projected  includes  the  development  of  a 
plan  for  utilizing  the  waters  of  the  Truckee  and  Carson  basins  by 
canals  and  reservoirs;  also  a  reconnaissance  of  the  Humboldt,  Walker 
River,  and  Honey  Lake  basins. 

ESTIMATE  OF   EXPENSES. 

Salary  of  engineer $3, 000 

Field  assistants 3, 000 

Hired  men 3, 000 

Field  supplies,  instruments,  animals,  forage,  and  incidentals 6, 500 


Total 15,500 

CALIFORNIA   DIVISION. 

In  the  drainage  basins  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  north  of  the  Cosumne 
or  Mokelumne  there  is  but  little  demand  for  irrigation,  and  what- 
ever demand  exists  is  more  than  met  by  the  old  mining  ditches  and 
reservoirs,  whose  waters  are  no  longer  permitted  to  be  used  in  wash- 
ing gravels.  In  the  valleys  immediately  south  of  the  Mokelumne 
there  is  some  demand  for  water,  and  this  demand  steadily  increases 
southward  until  it  becomes  very  great  in  the  valley  of  the  Kern.  On 
the  western  sides  of  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  Valleys,  i.  e. , 
upon  the  eastern  slopes  of  the  Coast  Ranges,  the  scarcity  of  water  is 
extreme,  while  the  extent  of  arable  land  is  very  great.  It  is  believed 
that  important  areas  of  this  land  may  be  irrigated  by  the  develop- 
ment of  a  system  of  reservoirs.  Many  situations  for  reservoir  sites 
are  known  to  exist  in  these  ranges,  and  the  rain-fall  on  the  mountains 
is  probably  sufficient  to  fill  many  of  them.  Some  map  work  has  also 
been  accomplished  on  a  suitable  scale,  and  it  is  therefore  proposed 
to  begin  work  upon  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Coast  Range.  Maps  are 
already  in  process  of  construction  for  some  of  the  drainage  basins  of 


48  IRRIGATION    SUKVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

the  western  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  where  the  demand  for  in- 
creased areas  of  irrigation  is  great.  As  this  work  proceeds  the 
Stanislaus  and  more  southern  rivers  will  engage  the  attention  of  the 
engineering  corps.  One  of  the  most  important  problems  in  irriga- 
tion to  be  solved  in  California  relates  to  the  use  of  the  Colorado 
River  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  State.  Already  much  is  known 
in  the  Survey  in  relation  to  this  subject,  but  for  climatic  reasons  the 
work  can  best  be  prosecuted  during  the  winter  months.  It  is  there- 
fore proposed  to  enter  upon  this  investigation  later  in  the  year,  and 
to  place  it  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  William  Hammond  Hall. 

ESTIMATE  OF  EXPENSES. 

Salary  of  supervising  engineer,  also  in  charge  of  division $4, 000 

Field  assistants 2, 500 

Hired  men 2, 000 

Field  supplies,  instruments,  animals,  forage  and  incidentals 3, 500 


Total 12, 000 

RECAPITULATION. 

Montana  Division . « 1 $8, 000 

Colorado  Division 19, 500 

New  Mexico  Division 10, 000 

Idaho  Division 11, 000 

Lahontan  Division 15, 500 

California  Division 12, 000 


Total 76, 000 


Total  appropriation $250, 000 

For  topographic  work $120, 000 

For  hydraulic  work 32, 200 

For  engineering  work 76, 000 

228,200 


To  be  used  for  contingent  purposes 21, 800 

The  above  report  is  submitted  to  the  Secretary  for  his  examination 
and  consideration,  and  his  approval  of  the  same  is  requested. 
I  am,  with  great  respect,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  W.  POWELL, 

Director. 


INSTRUCTIONS.  49 


INSTRUCTIONS. 

In  pursuance  of  the  above  plan,  the  following  instructions 

were  issued  : 

DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR, 
UNITED  STATES  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY, 

Washington,  D.  .C.,  May  25,  1889. 
Prof.  A.  H.  THOMPSON, 

Chief  Topographer,  Irrigation  Survey: 

SIR:  You  are  hereby  continued  in  charge  of  the  topographic  work 
of  the  Irrigation  Survey.  The  sum  of  $120,000,  from  the  appropri- 
ation for  an  irrigation  survey  for  the  fiscal  year  1890,  is  allotted  to 
your  work.  From  this  are  to  be  paid  the  salaries  of  all  assistants 
assigned  you,  and  all  field  expenses  of  every  kind. 

You  are  also  authorized  to  employ  such  laborers  as  may  be  neces- 
sary to  the  proper  conduct  of  your  work,  having  due  regard  for  econ- 
omy. You  will  employ  such  persons  by  the  month  or  day,  as  circum- 
stances require,  but  will  not  pay  a  greater  monthly  salary  than  $60 
without  special  permission  from  this  office. 

You  are  also  authorized  to  make  such  purchases  of  field  supplies 
and  material,  either  in  person  or  by  your  assistants,  as  may  be  nec- 
essary for  your  work. 

You  will  make  a  monthly  report  of  progress,  which  should  be  sub- 
mitted at  the  earliest  possible  date  after  the  close  of  each  month. 

The  following  instructions  have  been  prepared  for  your  guidance 
in  the  prosecution  of  the  survey  under  your  charge: 

MAPS. 

All  field  work  for  the  general  map  should  be  done  on  a  scale  of  1 
inch  to  1  mile,  and  in  contours  having  a  vertical  interval  of  100  feet 
in  high  mountain  country,  50  feet  in  the  lower  and  less  rough  coun- 
try, and  20  feet  in  all  areas  of  possible  irrigable  lands  or  sites  of  pos- 
sible reservoirs. 

A  larger  scale  and  less  contour  interval  may  be  used  for  special 
maps. 

HORIZONTAL   CONTROL. 

Horizontal  control  should  be  secured  by  primary  triangulation, 
secondary  triangulation,  plane-table  intersections  and  sketches,  and 
plane-table  traverses  between  located  points. 

Primary  triangulation  should  be  done  with  accurate  instruments, 
and  at  least  two  stations  should  be  located  on  each  atlas-sheet.  Sec- 
ondary triangulation  may  be  done  with  less  refinement,  but  must  be 
accurate  within  the  limits  of  the  scale,  and  locate  a  sufficient  number 
10  GEOL.,  PT.  2 4 


50  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

of  stations  on  each  plane-table  sheet  for  topographic  work.  Plane- 
table  stations  must  be  made  on  secondary  triangulation  and  other 
convenient  points  so  chosen  that  the  whole  country  can  be  seen,  and 
intersections  made  to  locate  all  principal  topographic  features.  In 
favorable  country  the  secondary  triangulation  may  often  be  done 
over  limited  areas  by-  the  plane-table.  All  contouring  and  location 
of  topographic  features  between  the  intersected  points  must  be  done 
from  plane-table  stations.  Primary  and  secondary  triangulation 
should  precede  plane-table  work. 

All  roads  and  important  topographic  features  must  be  traversed 
and  sketched  by  plane-table  methods — courses  being  determined  by 
the  magnetic  needle,  and  distances  measured  by  instrumentation. 
All  streams  must  be  traversed,  and  special  attention  paid  to  accurate 
connection  of  their  courses  with  the  secondary  triangulation  and  the 
topographic  features  of  their  immediate  valleys.  The  outlines  of  all 
valleys  in  the  mountains  and  foot-hills,  as  well  as  the  plains,  broader 
valleys,  terraces  and  benches  of  the  lower  country,  must  be  accurately 
located  by  plane-table  intersections  or  traverses. 

Instruments. — Theodolites  of  approved  construction  should  be  used 
in  the  primary  triangulation;  gradienters  and  plane-tables  in  second- 
ary triangulation;  traverse  plane-tables  for  traverse  work;  odome- 
ters, chains  and  stadia  rods  for  the  distances  in  traverses,  and  com- 
passes for  courses. 

VERTICAL   CONTROL. 

One  or  more  points  on  each  atlas-sheet  must  be  accurately  deter- 
mined in  altitude  and  used  as  primary  reference  or  bench-marks  for 
that  sheet.  All  secondary  triangulation  and  other  plane-table  sta- 
tions, as  well  as  other  convenient  points,  must  be  connected  with  the 
primary  bench-mark  by  leveling,  either  angular  or  spirit.  This  work 
should  precede  the  contouring  of  plane-table  sheets  or  traversing. 

All  plane-table  intersections  must  be  located  in  altitude  by  angu- 
lation.  All  traverses  must  be  located  in  altitude  by  angulation, 
spirit-level  or  barometer,  as  the  special  case  requires.  In  the  use  of 
either  method  frequent  reference  must  be  had  to  the  primary  and 
secondary  bench-marks. 

The  slope  of  all  possible  irrigable  lands  must  be  determined  by 
level  lines  frequently  crossing  them.  The  gradients  of  all  streams 
must  be  determined  with  great  care  as  high  as  any  possible  reservoir 
sites,  and  the  grade-curves  of  their  immediate  valleys  and  of  reservoir 
sites  located  frequently  by  instrumentation.  Contours  indicating 
the  outlines  of  valleys,  plains,  terraces  and  benches  must  be  accu- 
rately located  by  frequent  instrumental  determinations. 

Instruments. — The  Y  spirit-level  should  be  often  used  in  deter- 
mining the  gradients  of  streams,  reservoir  sites,  etc.  Gradienters 


INSTRUCTIONS.  51 

and  telescopic  alidades  may  be  used  in  angular  leveling;  aneroid  and 
mercurial  barometers  in  traversing. 

Herewith  you  will  find  the  general  plan  of  work  as  approved  by 
the  honorable  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 
Yours,  with  respect, 

J.  W.  POWELL, 

Director. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR, 
UNITED  STATES  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY, 

Washington,  D.  C.,  May  25,  1889. 
Capt.  C.  E.  BUTTON, 

Chief  Engineer,  Irrigation  Surrey: 

SIR:  I  desire  herewith  to  place  before  you  certain  governing  con- 
siderations of  a  general  character  with  reference  to  the  surveys  you 
are  expected  to  make  and  the  results  you  are  expected  to  accomplish 
through  the  employment  of  the  engineering  corps. 

In  each  hydrographic  basin  it  is  desired  to  attack  these  problems: 
What  are  the  available  sources  of  water  supply  ?  and  by  what  means 
may  the  water  be  most  fully  utilized?  A  hydrographic  basin  may 
mean  the  water-shed  of  a  large  stream  or  of  a  small  one — of  a  great 
river  or  of  one  of  its  tributaries.  But  whether  it  means  a  trunk 
stream  or  a  branch  of  it — a  question  to  be  decided  by  the  engineer — 
it  is  assumed  that  there  is  some  form  of  development  and  construc- 
tion of  works  which  may  be  adjudged  to  be  the  best  that  the  engi- 
neer can  devise.  The  engineers  should  take  no  account  of  works 
which  are  already  constructed;  nor  should  their  judgment  be  swayed 
by  any  opinion  on  their  part  as  to  what  works  private  enterprise  and 
capital  are  likely  to  undertake  in  the  next  few  years.  They  should 
rather  address  themselves  to  the  question  already  propounded:  What 
is  the  best  system;  the  one  which  will  utilize  the  greatest  amount 
of  water  and  produce  the  greatest  amount  of  irrigation?  It  is  not 
forgotten  that  as  a  practical  matter  irrigation  development  in  each 
district  starts  with  a  small  beginning,  and  with  works  proportional 
to  that  beginning,  involving  great  waste  of  water  and  great  cost  for 
maintenance  ;  that  it  advances  through  successive  stages  by  more 
costly  works  superseding  the  primitive  ones.  But  of  these  the  en- 
gineer should  take  no  account.  His  project  should  embrace  what 
is  in  his  judgment  the  best  system,  irrespective  of  what  is  or  actually 
may  be  constructed.  At  the  same  time  his  project  should  be  a  prac- 
tical one,  involving  no  extravagance  of  engineering,  not  transcend- 
ing the  possibilities  of  attainment  and  maintenance  after  attainment. 

The  plan  should  have  also  a  certain  unity,  and  should  contemplate 
a  single  system  of  works  for  each  irrigation  district.  If  both  reser- 
voirs and  canals  are  required  the  reservoirs  should,  if  possible,  be 


52  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

projected  as  adjuncts  of  the  canals.  No  doubt  it  will  happen  some- 
times that  the  rivers  alone  are  more  than  sufficient  for  the  available 
land,  as  in  some  valleys  of  the  northernmost  States  and  Territories; 
or  that  reservoirs  alone  are  possible,  as  in  parts  of  the  southernmost 
Territories.  Still,  even  in  such  cases  unity  of  plan  should  be  kept 
in  view  so  far  as  practicable. 

Engineers  should  seek  to  devise  plans  to  serve  the  greatest  amount 
of  irrigation  with  the  least  expense.  When  the  land  is  in  excess  of 
the  water  the  plans  should  be  made  to  utilize  all  available  water. 
When  the  water  is  in  excess  of  the  land  the  plans  should  be  made  to 
utilize  all  the  available  land. 

Engineers  should  seek  to  minimize  the  distributive  works  by  which 
water  is  taken  from  canals  and  reservoirs  and  put  upon  the  land. 
With  a  given  high-line  canal  it  will  generally  be  possible  to  propose 
many  ways  of  distributing  its  water.  But  the  distributive  system 
will  in  other  cases  probably  be  of  a  distinctive  character,  forming  a 
vital  part  of  the  entire  project,  and  its  employment  in  the  project 
will  then  be  necessary. 

In  carrying  out  the  actual  survey  work  in  the  field  it  will  not  be 
necessary,  it  is  believed,  to  actually  run  the  canal  lines  by  transit 
and  level  with  cumbrous  and  expensive  parties  of  rodmen,  chainmen, 
axmen,  cooks  and  teamsters  and  mark  the  lines  by  stakes  on  the 
ground.  For  the  lawful  purposes  of  the  survey  a  simpler,  far  less 
expensive,  and  more  generally  useful  method  is  contemplated.  It  is 
to  be  borne  in  mind  that  this  survey  is  not  primarily  designed  for 
the  benefit  of  private  parties  who  may  contemplate  the  construction 
of  works,  though  if  they  should  incidentally  derive  benefit  therefrom 
it  would  be  a  matter  for  congratulation.  Its  first  object,  as  expressed 
in  the  statute  directing  that  the  survey  be  made,  is  for  the  information 
of  the  Congress  and  of  the  State  and  Territorial  legislatures  and  the 
guidance  of  future  legislation  with  respect  to  the  arid  lands  and  the 
use  of  the  natural  waters.  The  second  object  of  the  survey  is  to  se- 
lect sites  for  reservoirs  and  other  hydraulic  works  necessary  for  irri- 
gation, and  to  reserve  the  same  for  public  purposes,  that  they  may 
not  fall  into  the  possession  of  individuals  or  corporations.  The  third 
purpose  is  to  select  and  reserve  the  irrigable  lands  until  the  Congress 
shall  decide  upon  the  best  method  for  their  disposition  to  actual  set- 
tlers. There  is  a  fourth  object,  of  equal  importance  to  the  others, 
namely,  to  guide  the  agriculturists  of  each  great  hydrographic  basin 
to  the  most  economic  method  of  utilizing  the  waters  for  irrigation  in 
such  a  manner  that  the  greatest  area  may  be  cultivated  thereby. 
Hence  it  is  designed  to  spread  upon  good  maps  and  set  forth  in 
printed  reports  and  records  the  facts  as  they  exist,  and  the  possibili- 
ties which  may  be  hoped  for  in  their  entirety.  This  should  be  done 
with  sufficient  but  not  excessive  detail.  It  should  comprise  not  merely 
delineations  of  the  routes  of  canals  and  the  locations  of  reservoirs, 


INSTRUCTIONS.  53 

but  all  the  essential  accessory  facts  inherent  in  the  country  itself. 
The  basis  of  work,  then,  is,  in  the  view  of  the  Director,  a  topographic 
map. 

Such  maps  have  already  been  begun  by  the  topographic  survey  in 
those  districts  where  work  is  contemplated  in  the  present  year,  and 
upon  some  of  them  large  progress  has  been  made  For  the  general 
topographic  maps  the  field-work  is  all  done  on  a  scale  of  1  inch  to  the 
mile  and  in  contours  having  a  vertical  interval  of  100  feet  in  high 
mountain  country,  50  feet  in  the  lower  and  less  rough  country,  and 
20  feet  in  all  areas  of  possible  irrigable  lands  or  sites  of  possible  reser- 
voirs. Larger  scale  maps  with  less  contour  intervals  are  contem- 
plated for  special  maps.  In  the  construction  of  these  maps  the  hori- 
zontal control  is  secured  by  primary  and  secondary  triangulation,  by 
plane-table  intersections,  and  by  plane-table  tracing  between  located 
points.  Points  in  abundance  are  located  on  each  plane-table  sheet, 
and  they  will  be  located  with  an  accuracy  which  is  well  within  the 
limits  of  the  scale  on  which  the  map  is  projected.  On  each  atlas- 
sheet  one  or  more  points  has  its  altitude  accurately  determined  and 
is  used  as  a  primary  reference  or  bench-mark  for  that  sheet,  and  all 
secondary  triangulation  and  plane-table  stations,  as  well  as  other 
points,  are  connected  with  these  bench-marks  by  actual  leveling. 
The  slopes  of  all  possible  irrigable  lands  are  determined  by  lines  of 
level  frequently  crossing  them.  The  gradients  of  streams  are  deter- 
mined with  great  care  by  leveling  as  high  as  all  possible  reservoir 
sites,  and  the  grade  curves  of  their  immediate  valleys  and  of  reservoir 
sites  are  frequently  located  by  instrumentation. 

When  these  maps  are  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  engineer,  it  is 
believed  that  he  can  locate  upon  them  by  a  simple  reconnaissance 
the  line  of  a  canal,  without  the  necessity  for  a  large  field  party  and 
its  expensive  equipment,  and  that  the  result  will  answer  the  prac- 
tical purposes  contemplated  in  the  law.  It  may  happen,  however, 
that  actual  leveling  will  have  to  be  done  sometimes,  and  whenever  it 
is  necessary  it  is  expected,  though  the  effort  should  be  to  avoid  as 
much  of  such  work  as  practicable.  Information  as  to  the  location  of 
all  determinate  points  on  the  map  can  always  be  obtained  from  the 
note-books  of  the  topographic  parties. 

Few  of  the  maps  are  yet  engraved;  but  photographs  of  the  original 
drawings  and  of  the  plane-table  sheets,  as  rapidly  as  the  latter  are 
finished,  can  be  made  in  this  office  and  placed  in  the  hands  of  the 
engineers. 

The  exigencies  of  the  service  demand  that  the  work  of  the  engi- 
neers shall  be  commenced  at  an  early  date,  in  order  that  complete 
systems  of  irrigation  can  be  projected  and  the  plans  reported  to  Con- 
gress at  its  next  session.  The  engineers  engaged  in  planning  works 
will  realize  that  could  they  be  supplied  with  maps  already  con- 
structed and  with  the  results  of  a  hydraulic  survey,  giving  them 


54  IRRIGATION    SURVEY — FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

the  facts  relating  to  the  volume,  evaporation,  sedimentation,  etc.,  of 
the  several  streams  they  are  investigating,  it  would  be  highly  advan- 
tageous to  their  work;  and  in  the  prosecution  of  plans  hereafter  it  is 
hoped  that  such  data  can  be  furnished  the  engineers  when  they  take 
the  field;  but  it  is  impossible  to  do  this  for  the  present  season,  and 
it  therefore  becomes  necessary  for  them  to  adjust  themselves  some- 
what to  the  imperfect  conditions  and  to  consult  the  field  sketches  and 
notes  of  the  topographer,  and  to  obtain  from  the  hydrographers  pre- 
liminary and  incomplete  statements  of  the  facts  collected  by  them. 
It  is  hoped  that  they  will  adapt  themselves  to  the  circumstances  by 
the  wisest  methods,  and  work  with  such  fragmental  and  incomplete 
data  as  may  be  on  hand,  leaving  it  to  a  later  day  to  complete  all  the 
topographic  and  hydraulic  data  necessary  for  final  reports.  Each 
project  of  a  canal  will  have  some  special  features  which  can  not 
properly  be  expressed  upon  the  general  topographic  sheets,  such  as 
headworks,  dams,  water-falls,  and  special  distributive  works  which 
may  form  an  integral  part  of  the  system.  In  so  far  as  these  call 
for  topographic  representation  upon  a  much  larger  scale,  special 
maps  can  be  estimated  for  and  requisition  made  for  them  upon  this 
office.  In  so  far  as  they  call  for  representation  in  engineering  plats 
and  conventions,  the  engineers  will  be  expected  to  make  the  neces- 
sary surveys  and  delineations. 

Reservoirs  which  constitute  an  essential  part  of  any  unified  project, 
will  in  most  cases  demand  special  plats  for  their  representation,  and 
more  or  less  survey  by  the  engineer  to  cross-section  their  basins, 
properly  estimate  their  capacities,  and  define  the  characters  and  pro- 
portions of  the  dams.  It  should  be  remembered  that  the  ends  in  view 
are  not  actual  constructions  by  the  Government,  but  plans  and  esti- 
mates for  the  use  of  the  people,  and  reports  should  be  prepared  in  the 
simplest  manner  possible. 

The  selection  of  reservoir  sites  involves  their  withdrawal  from 
occupation  and  entry  by  settlers  under  the  various  land  acts.  This 
should  be  one  of  the  first  subjects  to  engage  the  engineer's  attention. 
He  should  first  reconnoiter  such  localities  as  seem  to  offer  facilities 
for  good  reservoir  sites,  and  form  a  preliminary  judgment  of  their 
possible  areas  of  water  surface  without  entering  into  detailed  sur- 
veys. To  this  surface  should  be  added  for  each  site  an  ample  mar- 
gin of  safety  around  it.  He  should  identify  its  situation  upon  the 
Land  Office  plats  in  the  local  land  office  having  jurisdiction  over  it, 
and  make  report  to  this  office  that  a  practicable  site  has  been  selected, 
specifying  the  ranges,  townships,  and  sections.  No  subdivision 
smaller  than  a  section  should  be  taken,  and  if  the  boundary  of  the 
reservation  cuts  through  any  section,  the  whole  section  should  be 
embraced  in  the  reservation.  So  far  as  this  specification  is  con- 
cerned, it  is  immaterial  if  a  part  of ,  the  land  has  already  been  filed 
upon  or  patented. 


INSTRUCTIONS.  55 

In  case  the  site  is  upon  land  which  is  unsurveyed  by  the  Land  Office, 
a  monument  should  be  erected  at  a  point  having  a  height  such  that 
a  line  of  level  running  around  the  basin  and  through  the  base  of  the 
monument  will  embrace"  all  the  land  which  it  is  desired  to  withdraw. 
It  will  be  sufficient  for  the  purpose  of  a  preliminary  withdrawal  to 
describe  the  position  of  such  monument  in  terms  which  will  enable 
its  situation  to  be  subsequently  identified,  to  specify  the  township  or 
townships  within  which  the  site  is  located,  when  it  can  be  done,  and 
to  declare  that  all  land  within  such  basin  lying  below  a  level-line 
through  the  base  of  the  described  monument  is  withdrawn  as  a 
reservoir  site. 

The  preliminary  withdrawal  of  reservoir  sites  is  an  operation  which 
should  be  conducted  with  secrecy  and  dispatch,  and  every  effort  made 
to  avoid  being  anticipated  by  jumpers  and  speculators. 

For  properly  "investigating  the  extent  to  which  the  arid  region 
can  be  redeemed  by  irrigation,"  it  is  necessary  for  the  engineer  to 
know  as  much  as  possible  of  the  available  water  supply,  how  much 
of  it  he  can  secure  in  his  canals  and  reservoirs,  and  how  much  he  is 
likely  to  lose  by  evaporation  and  by  other  causes  which  he  can  not 
control.  It  is  therefore  necessary  to  determine  the  amount  of  water 
flowing  in  the  streams,  the  variation  of  flow  throughout  the  year,  the 
rain-fall,  and  the  evaporation.  For  these  investigations  a  corps  of 
hydrographers  has  been  organized  during  the  past  winter,  and  they 
have  been  experimenting  and  practicing  with  a  view  to  ascertaining 
the  best  instruments  and  methods  of  work. 

In  this  branch  of  the  work  the  gauging  of  streams  is  for  the  pres- 
ent the  most  urgent.  The  hydrographers  will  be  stationed  in  the 
several  divisions  to  organize  and  prosecute  the  work  of  stream-gaug- 
ing under  the  eye  of  the  engineer,  who  will  select  those  streams 
which  demand  the  first  gauging,  and  which  are  the  subjects  of  their 
immediate  wants.  Evaporation  measurements  will  also  be  under- 
taken with  special  reference  to  determining  the  amount  of  evapora- 
tion from  water  surfaces. 

Monthly  reports  will  be  required  setting  forth  the  operations  of 
the  engineer  in  full. 

Yours,  with  respect, 

J.  W.  POWELL, 

Director. 


56  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 


[General  instructions  for  hydrographers.] 

DEPARTMENT  OP  THE  INTERIOR, 
UNITED  STATES  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY, 

Washington,  D.  C.,  May  25,  1889. 
Capt.  C.  E.  DUTTON, 

Chief  Engineer  of  the  Irrigation  Survey: 

SIR:  The  duties  which  devolve  upon  the  hydrographers  will  be  at 
once  of  a  highly  scientific  and  practical  character,  and  will  consist 
in  ascertaining  by  systematic  observations  and  measurements  the 
values  of  numerous  factors  or  qualities  which  must  be  known  in 
order  to  fully  carry  out  the  purpose  of  the  law  which  requires  an 
investigation  of  the  extent  to  which  the  arid  lands  can  be  redeemed 
by  irrigation.     They  may  be  mentioned  in  the  following  order  : 
(1)  Measurements  of  water  supply. 
•(2)  Measurements  of  the  loss  of  water  by  evaporation. 

(3)  The  investigation  of  the  climatology  of  the  arid  region 

with  reference  to  agriculture  by  irrigation. 

(4)  Measurements  of  sediments  transported  by  streams 

(5)  The  duty  of  water. 

(6)  Collection  of  general  information. 

(1)  The  measurement  of  water  supply  will  consist  primarily  in 
the  gauging  of  streams.      To  this  end  the  methods  developed  at 
Embudo  will  be  followed  for  the  present,  but  with  time  and  experi- 
ence it  is  hoped  that  improvement  will  come.      For  this  purpose 
stations  will  be  established  on  streams  to  be  gauged  at  points  selected 
and  a  systematic  record  will  be  kept  of  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  streams 
by  means  of  inclined  graduated  rods,  and  the  stations  will  be  visited 
by  the  hydrographers  so  as  to  gauge  repeatedly  at  different  stages 
of  the  water  until  a  sufficient  number  of  stages  have  been  gauged  to 
admit  of  a  formula  for  the  stream  and  the  station.     The  stream  beds 
will  be  plotted  and  the  slopes  ascertained  by  leveling.     Full  records 
will  be  kept  by  the  hydrographers  of  all  their  gauging  work  and  the 
results  reported  monthly  to  this  office. 

(2)  The  evaporation  will  also  be  measured  by  the  general  methods 
employed  at  Embudo.     The  quantity  to  be  ascertained  is  the  evapo- 
ration from  water  surfaces.     Wherever  practicable  it  is  desirable  to 
combine  station  work  by  placing  evaporometers  at  the  same  stations 
as  river  gauges ;  but  this  must  be  influenced  by  considerations  of 
economy  and  the  intelligence  of  the  observers. 

(3)  The  study  of  the  climatology  of  the  West  will  be  mainly  the 
work  of  the  central  office,  as  the  data  upon  which  it  depends  are  of 
regional  extent,  and  most  of  them  are  collated  by  the  Signal  Service, 
whose  records  are  accessible  only  in  Washington.    But  hydrographers 
are  expected  to   furnish  some  accessory  data,  and  to  cultivate  in 
their  divisions  the  interest  of  volunteer  observers  and  to  promote  the 


INSTRUCTIONS.  57 

organization  of  meteorological  societies.  They  are  cautioned,  how- 
ever, not  to  duplicate  the  work  of  the  Signal  Service,  but  to  maintain 
a  most  cordial  and  cooperative  attitude  towards  the  observers  of  that 
Bureau  and  to  conform  to  its  methods. 

Rain  gauges  will  be  placed  at  stations  not  occupied  by  Signal 
Service  observers,  and  for  the  present  localities  at  higher  altitudes 
especially  need  investigating  as  to  the  amount  of  precipitations,  and 
as  a  general  though  not  invariable  rule  preference  should  be  given 
to  higher  altitudes  in  choosing  rain-gauge  stations.  It  is  deemed 
unadvisable  to  use  the  sling  psychrometer,  except  in  cases  where  the 
observer  is  known  to  be  a  man  of  exceptional  intelligence  and  skilled 
in  the  use  of  meteorological  instruments. 

(4)  The  measurements  of  sediments  transported  is  a  subject  which 
must  await  future  development,  and  no  instructions  can  be  given 
for  the  present  with  reference  to  it. 

(5)  Care  should  be  taken,  whenever  opportunity  occurs,  to  ascer- 
tain the  duty  of  water  in  all  localities  where  irrigation  is  practiced. 
The  subject  should  be  investigated  personally,  and  too  much  reli- 
ance should  not  be  placed  on  the  mere  statements  of  farmers  unsup- 
ported by  careful  measurement.     As  the  duty  will  vary,  much  in- 
quiry is  necessary  to  ascertain  upon  what  causes  such  variations 
depend.     The  following  factors  seem  to  be  of  prime  importance:  (1) 
Method  of  flooding  lands;  (2)  climate;  (3)  character  of  soil  and  sub- 
soil; (4)  kind  of  crop  raised. 

(6)  The  central  office  will  be  frequently  called  upon  to  furnish  in- 
formation not  only  to  Congress,  but  to  thousands  of  individuals 
throughout  the  country  upon  the  subject  of  irrigation.     In  short,  it 
must  constitute  itself  a  bureau  of  information.    The  hydrographers 
are  expected  to  have  their  eyes  open  to  all  facts  relating  to  irriga- 
tion, and  to  keep  the  central  office  advised  of  everything  of  interest. 

Reports  must  be  made  monthly,  embracing  a  full  account  of  all 
operations  during  the  month.  Records  of  guagings,  with  the  plates 
of  the  section  at  the  station,  and  records  of  soundings  and  leveling 
must  be  kept  by  the  hydrographers  and  copies  of  them  furnished  to 
this  office  at  such  times  as  will  hereafter  be  stated  and  upon  such 
forms  as  shall  be  prescribed.  They  will  also  collate  the  reports  of 
the  rain-gauge  and  other  observers  and  consolidate  them,  forward- 
ing the  consolidated  report  to  this  office. 
Yours,  with  respect, 

J.  W.  POWELL, 

Director. 

With  the  above  general  instructions,  common  to  all  operat- 
ing- in  like  branches  of  the  work,  the  parties  were  sent  to  the 
field  with  specific  orders  to  carry  on  the  survey  in  designated 
areas.  A  detailed  account  of  the  progress  of  the  survey  for  the 


58 


IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 


fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1889,  is  contained  in  the  reports  of 
Professor  Thompson  and  Captain  Button  appended  hereunto. 

AREAS  SURVEYED. 

The  following  statement  exhibits  in  tabular  form  the  areas 
covered  by  the  topographic  survey  in  the  several  States  and 
Territories  wherein  it  was  prosecuted,  the  reservoir  sites  and 
canal  sites  that  have  been  surveyed  in  each  State  and  Terri- 
tory, the  additional  reservoir  sites  selected  for  segregation,  and 
the  total  selection  of  irrigable  lands  for  segregation.  The 
table  does  not  include  a  great  number  of  reservoir  sites  and 
canal  sites  that  have  been  discovered  and  from  which  selections 
are  to  be  made  hereafter: 

Areas  mapped  by  the  Topographic  Branch,  Irrigation  Survey. 


States. 

1888. 

1889. 

Total. 

California  

So.  miles. 
1,580 

Sq.  miles. 
3,268 

So.  miles. 

4,848 

Colorado  

13,000 

10,200 

23,200 

Idaho  .        .             .  .        .      .      .           ....                          

1,900 

1,900 

Montana  ..        

3,600 

1,670 

5,270 

New  Mexico  

3,800 

2,570 

6,370 

N«v<vla    ...         ..........               ,  ,       ........                    ..................... 

250 

1,642 

1,892 

Total  .  .             

22,230 

21,250 

43,480 

Expenditures  from  October  3,  1888,  to  June  30, 1889 $172, 171. 83 

Cost  per  square  mile 3. 95 

Reservoir  sites  surveyed  in  Arkansas  River  division,  Colorado. 


Height 

Name. 

Location. 

of 

Area. 

Capacity. 

dam. 

Feet. 

Acres. 

Acre-feet. 

1 

Twin  Lakes  

Lake  County  

60 

1,297 

130,000 

9 

Cottonwood 

Chaffee  County         

70 

166 

8,400 

a 

Leadville     

Lake  County    

100 

280 

8,875 

4 

Monument  

El  Paso  County  

40 

47 

5,630 

5 

Pring  

do  

60 

198 

4,600 

p, 

Hayden 

Lake  County       

100 

1,118 

45,000 

7 

Clear  Creek  No  1         

Chaffee  County  

60 

350 

7,000 

8 

Clear  Creek  No.  2  

do  

45 

64 

1,800 

I 

Tennessee        

Lake  County  

70 

1,889 

37,000 

10 

Sugar  Loaf 

.  ..  .do 

60 

1,070 

45,000 

Canal  lines  surveyed,  Arkansas  division. 


Name. 

Location. 

Height 
of 
dam. 

Area. 

Capacity. 

1 

*  Leaves  the  Arkansas  River  on  the  north  bank  12  miles  west  of  the  line  between  Kansas  and  Colo- 
rado, and  extends  eastward  to  a  point  30  miles  east  of  said  lines,  and  then  turns  northward  in  a  very 
direct  line  to  the  town  of  Leoti,  Kans.,  30  miles  north  of  the  most  southern  part  of  its  line. 


AREAS    SURVEYED. 


59 


Reservoir  sites  surveyed  in  Stanislaus  and  Tuolumne  Basins,  California. 


Name. 

Location. 

Height 
of 
dam. 

Area. 

Capacity. 

1 

T  7  N   R  18  E 

30 

1  500 

40 

3,447 

2 
3 

Highland  Lake*  
Kennedy's  Meadow  

Sec.  6,  T.7N.,R.30E  
T.  5N.,  R.  20  E  

50 
'"56" 

356 

"'se' 

6,917 
'"i,'369 

4 

Kennedy's  Lain- 

T5N,R21E      

70 
90 
20 

114 
140 
86 

3,402 
5,943 
1,041 

5 

Tuolumne  Meadows  

Tuolumne  County,  T.  1  S.,  R.  33  and 

30 
50 

109 
870 

2,018 
23,753 

6 

Lake  Eleanor  

24  E.,  M.D.M. 
Tuolumne  County,  T.  2  N.,  R.  19  E  ... 

60 
80 
50 

972 
1,174 
678 

32,968 
54,408 
8,000 

7 
8 

Lake  Tenaiya  
Little  Yosemite  Valley  

T.  1  S.,  R.  23  E.,  M.  D.  Iff  

Mariposa  County,  T.  2  S.,  R.  22  and 

23  E. 

70 
90 
100 
25 
35 
55 
110 
130 
160 

1,012 
1,134 
1,193 
470 
530 
603 
640 
765 
860 

25,776 
47,290 
58,927 
6,717 
11,719 
23,083 
14,928 
29,116 
53,700 

*  Surveyed,  but  full  details  not  received  at  civil  engineer's  office. 


Reservoir  sites  surveyed  in  Carson  and  Truckee  Basins  in  California  and  Nevada. 


Name. 

Location. 

Height 
of 
dam. 

Area. 

Capacity. 

1 

Donner  Lake  

Nevada  County,  Cal      .               

25 

1,337 

22  200 

Independence  Lake  

do     

40 

984 

23,700 

3 
4 

Webber  Lake  
Hope  Valley        

Sierra  County,  Cal  
Alpine  County  Cal     .        

30 
70 

778 
219 

11,200 
2,440 

5 

Long  Valley  

Douglas  County,Nev    

110 
130 
150 
90 

1,337 
1,595 
1,803 
1,086 

30,300 
61,000 
95,000 
34,400 

Reservoir  sites  surveyed  in  Sun  River  Basin,  Montana. 


Name. 

Location. 

Height 
of 
dam. 

Area. 

Capacity. 

1 
i 

Sun  River  Reservation  No.  1 
Sun  River  Reservation  No.  2 

Lewis  and  Clarke  and  ChoteauCounties 
do  

58 
100 

300 
350 

6,000 
13,000 

a 

Sun  River  Reservation  No.  3 

do  

96 

1,000 

35,000 

4 

Sun  River  Reservation  No.  4 

Lewis  and  Clarke  County  .           .   . 

94 

700 

SO  000 

5 

Sun  River  Reservation  No.  5 

do  

84 

1,500 

45,000 

B 

Sun  River  Reservation  No.  6 

do  

66 

300 

6  000 

7 

Sun  River  Reservation  No.  7 

do  

39 

250 

6  000 

H 

Sun  River  Reservation  No.  8 

do  .  . 

23 

130 

2,000 

B 

Sun  River  Reservation  No.  9 

do  

36 

70 

1,000 

10 

Benton  Lake    

Cascade  County 

7  000 

60  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

Canal  lines  surveyed  in  Sun  River  Basin,  Montana. 


Name. 

Location. 

Height 
of 
dam. 

Area. 

Capacity. 

1 

Canal  No  1* 

Cnoteau  and  Cascade  Counties 

8 

Canal  No  2t            

Lewis  and  Clarke  County    

•-i 

Canal  No  3$ 

..do 

*  Taken  out  on  the  north  side  of  Sun  River  in  sec.  21,  T.  23  N.,  R.  7  W.,  1  mile  below  Reservation  No. 
I.  Runs  in  a  southeasterly  direction  through  T.  22  N.,  R.  7  W.,  and  T.  21  N.,  R.  6  W. ;  thence  easterly 
through  the  southern  portion  of  T  21  N.,  R.  5  W. ;  thence  northeasterly  through  T.  21  N.,  R.  4  W, 
Enters  T.  21  N.,  R.  3  W.,  at  SW.  corner  section  6  and  then  turns  easterly  running  through  the  north 
tier  of  sections  in  T.  21  N.,  ranges  3  and  2  W. ;  thence  northeasterly  through  T.  22  N.,  R.  1  W.,  to  cross- 
ing of  Big  Muddy  Creek.  Total  length,  70  miles. 

t  Taken  from  the  top  of  reservoir  No.  2  and  runs  in  a  southeasterly  direction  2f  miles  ;  thence  north- 
erly 2|  miles  ;  thence  easterly  3  miles  to  reservoir  No.  9  ;  thence  southerly  to  reservoir  No.  8,  where 
it  is  turned  into  a  natural  water-way,  supplying  reservoirs  No.  7  and  5.  Total  length  of  line,  14  miles. 

t  Taken  from  bottom  of  reservoir  No.  5  in  sec.  30,  T.  21  N.,  R.  6  W.,  and  running  southeasterly 
through  sections  30, 29, 28, 33, 34,  and  35,  T.  21  N.,  R.  6  W. ;  thence  southwesterly  through  sections  2, 3, 4, 
5, 8,  and  9,  T.  20  N.,  R.  6  W.,  ending  one-half  mile  below  the  town  of  Augusta.  Total  length,  10  miles. 


Survey  of  reservoir  in  Rio  Grande  Valley,  near  El  Paso. 


Name. 

Location. 

Height 
of 
dam. 

Area. 

Capacity. 

1 

Lake  Constance    

Mesilla  Valley  

60 

24,900 

537,000 

RESERVOIR    SITES    SELECTED. 


61 


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62 


IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 


Remarks. 

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Monache  Meadows  Reservoir  .  .  . 
Big  Meadows  Reservoir  
Little  Yosemite  Reservoir  
Tenaiya  Lake  
Tuolumne  Meadows  Reservoir  . 
Eleanor  Lake  Reservoir  
Kennedy's  Meadow  Reservoir  .  . 
Kennedy's  Lake  Reservoir  
Bear  Valley  Reservoir  
South  Highland  Lake  Reservoir 
Rattlesnake  Creek  Reservoir,  No 
Rattlesnake  Creek  Reservoir,  No 

a 

H 

6 

10®I>000>0~(NTO^,050 

S    S10    2 


KESERVOJR    SITES    SELECTED. 


63 


1 

All  lands  situate  within  2  statute 
miles  of  lake  at  high  water. 
Do. 

•* 

t-  10^-   g 

m  £j®  TI<  oo  10  jj  rn  e»     g 

Six-mile  Creek,  Arkansas  River  
Eight-mile  Creek,  Arkansas  River  .  .  . 
Clear  Creek,  Arkansas  River  
Little  Cottonwocd  River  

UTAH. 

Jordan  River,  Salt  Lake  

San  Pitch  River  
Bear  River,  Salt  Lake  
Sevier  River  
Cottonwood  Creek  
East  Fork,  Sevier  River  
do  
West  Fork,  Sevier  River  
Sevier  River  
East  Fork,  Sevier  River  

-t-  • 
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Six-mile  Creek  Reservoir  
Eight-mile  Creek  Reservoir  .  . 
Upper  Clear  Creek  Reservoir 
Cottonwood  Lake  Reservoir.  . 

Tnt.nl 

Utah  Lake  

Gunnison  Reservoir  
Bear  Lake  Reservoir  
Deseret  Reservoir  
Cottonwood  Creek  Reservoir. 
Panquitch  Hayfleld,  Upper  Re 
Plateau  Valley  Reservoir  
Panquitch  Lake  Reservoir  .  .  . 
Marysvale  Reservoir  
Otter  Creek  Reservoir  

Tr>t,nl 

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64 


IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 


t-          00 


Group  of  small  ret 
five,  T.  9  and  10  N, 
Blue  water  cafion  .  . 
Southwest  corner  T 
Northern  part  of  T. 
San  Jose  River  in  L 


BEPORT  OF  PROF.  A.  H.  THOMPSON.  65 

Total  segregations  of  irrigable  lands. 

Acres. 

Snake  River  Basin 11, 057, 360 

Bear  River 2, 085, 320 

Upper  Missouri  and  Yellowstone 11, 133, 440 

Owens  River  Valley 519, 000 

Rio  Grande  Valley 5, 760, 000 

Total..  '. ..  30,555,120 


REPORT  OF  PROF.  A.  H.  THOMPSON. 

DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR, 
UNITED  STATES  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY, 

Washington,  D.  C.,  July  1,  1889. 

SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  of  the  work 
of  the  topographic  branch  of  the  Irrigation  Survey  during  the  fiscal 
year  ending  June  30,  1889. 

TIME   AND    LOCATION    OF   WORK. 

Under  the  appropriation  made  by  Congress  for  an  "  Irrigation 
survey  of  the  arid  regions  of  the  United  States "  funds  became 
available  October  3,  1888,  and  from  that  date  work,  either  field  or 
office,  has  been  carried  on  under  my  direction,  and  according  to  plans 
submitted  to  and  approved  by  you,  in  the  States  of  California,  Colo- 
rado, and  Nevada,  and  the  Territories  of  Montana  and  New  Mexico. 

GENERAL   ORGANIZATION   AND    PERSONNEL. 

In  California,  Montana,  and  New  Mexico  parties  of  the  U.  S.  Geo- 
logical Survey  were  already  engaged  in  topographic  work.  These 
parties  were  transferred  intact  to  the  Irrigation  Survey,  and  addi- 
tional new  parties  organized  in  Colorado  and  Nevada.  Four  divis- 
ions for  the  prosecution  of  work  were  thus  formed,  California  and 
Nevada  constituting  the  first,  Colorado  the  second,  Montana  the 
third,  and  New  Mexico  the  fourth. 

The  charge  of  work  in  the  Division  of  California  and  Nevada  was 
assigned  to  Mr.  H.  M.  Wilson,  assisted  by  Messrs.  A.  F.  Dunning- 
ton,  R.  H.  McKee,  Josiah  Pierce,  jr.,  and  George  E.  Verrill,  as 
assistants  in  charge  of  parties.  Charge  of  the  division  of  Colorado 
was  given  to  Mr.  Willard  D.  Johnson,  with  Mr.  John  W.  Hays  as 
assistant.  In  addition  Mr.  Anton  Karl  was  given  charge  of  a  third 
party  for  special  work.  Mr.  E.  M.  Douglas  was  given  charge  of  the 
Division  of  Montana,  with  Mr.  Frank  Tweedy  as  chief  of  a  party,  and 
Mr.  Arthur  P.  Davis  that  of  New  Mexico,  with  Messrs.  R.  Henry 
Phillips  and  R.  H.  Chapman  as  assistants  in  charge  of  parties.  In 
all  of  these  divisions  work  proceeded  by  atlas  sheets  bounded  by  de- 
10  GEOL.,  PT.  2 5 


66 


IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 


gree,  quarter,  or  half -degree  lines  of  latitude  and  longitude  and  con- 
forming in  scale  and  area  to  the  system  adopted  by  the  Geological 
Survey,  viz,  atlas  sheets  when  on  the  scale  of  e^ioo-  ^°  represent 
fifteen  minutes  of  latitude  and  longitude  each  way ;  when  on  the 
scale  of  T2~sVo  o  to  represent  thirty  minutes,  and  on  the  scale  of  aroVo  o 
one  degree. 

The  field  work  was  usually  done  on  twice  the  scale  intended  for 
publication,  the  relief  being  represented  by  contour  lines  having 
equal  vertical  intervals.  The  following  table  shows  the  locality  of 
work,  scale,  contour  interval,  areas  surveyed,  and  present  condition 
of  office  work  for  the  fiscal  year : 


Locality. 

Scale  field  work. 

Contour 
interval. 

Square 
miles  sur- 
veyed. 

Condition  of  office 
work. 

California  

1  inch  to  1  mile.  .  . 

Feet. 
100 

1,466 

Completed 

Colorado  

....do  

(50 

12,650 

One-twelfth  com- 

Montana   

1  inch  to  2  miles 

)25 

200 

3  600 

pleted. 
Completed 

New  Mexico  
Nevada  

1  inch  to  1  mile.  .  . 
....do  

J100 
|    50 
100 

3,800 
250 

Two-thirds     com- 
pleted. 
Not  worked 

Total  

21  766 

DETAILED   REPORT   BY   DIVISIONS. 
CALIFORNIA   AND   NEVADA. 

At  the  time  of  the  organization  of  the  Irrigation  Survey  topo- 
graphic work  was  being  carried  011  in  central  California  under  the 
charge  of  Mr.  H.  M.  Wilson,  with  an  organization  consisting  of  one 
triangulation  and  topographic  party  under  his  own  immediate  direc- 
tion, and  two  topographic  parties  under  charge  of  Mr.  A.  F.  Dun- 
nington  and  Redick  H.  McKee,  respectively.  These  parties  were 
transferred  intact  as  previously  mentioned. 

To  Mr.  Dunnington  had  been  assigned  work  on  what  are  known 
as  the  Jackson  and  Lodi  sheets  in  California,  and  to  Mr.  McKee 
work  on  the  Chico,  Bidwell  Bar  and  Downieville  sheets  in  the  same 
State.  It  was  decided  to  continue  the  work  of  the  parties  of  Messrs. 
Dunnington  and  McKee  in  the  areas  assigned  them. 

Mr.  Wilson  was  ordered  to  proceed  with  his  own  party  to  Nevada, 
assume  charge  of  the  work  there  in  addition  to  that  of  California, 
and  directed  to  organize  two  additional  topographic  parties,  under 
charge  of  Mr.  Josiah  Pierce,  jr.,  and  Mr.  Geo.  E.  Verrill,  respect- 
ively, and  commence  work  in  the  areas  known  as  the  Carson  and 
Wabuska  sheets.  Mr.  Wilson  successfully  accomplished  the  organ- 
ization and  equipment  of  these  parties,  and  on  November  1,  1888, 
commenced  work  on  the  Mount  Como  range  east  of  Carson  City, 
assuming  charge  of  the  triangulation  party  himself,  but  at  the  same 


REPORT  OF  PROF.  A.  II.  THOMPSON.  67 

time  instructing  and  directing  the  topographic  parties  of  Messrs. 
Pierce  and  Verrill. 

Messrs.  Dunnington.  and  McKee  completed  on  November  20  the 
areas  assigned  them  and  were  ordered  to  proceed  to  Washington, 
D.  C.,  for  office  work. 

Messrs.  Wilson,  Pierce,  and  Verrill  completed  the  survey  of  250 
square  miles  on  the  Carson  and  Wabuska  sheets  by  December  31. 
Their  parties  were  then  disbanded,  and  they  were  directed  to  proceed 
to  Washington,  D.  C.,  for  office  work. 

Early  in  May,  1889,  field  work  was  again  resumed  in  California 
and  Nevada,  Mr.  Wilson  being  still  in  charge  with  Messrs.  Dunning- 
ton,  McKee,  Verrill,  and  R.  H.  Chapman  as  assistants,  the  latter 
being  transferred  from  the  New  Mexico  Division.  One  triangula- 
tion  and  four  topographic  parties  were  organized,  and  work  com- 
menced on  the  Pyramid  Peak,  Truckee,  and  Markleville  sheets  in 
California,  and  Carson  sheet  in  Nevada.  Early  in  June  Mr.  Wilson 
was  transferred  to  the  engineering  branch  of  the  Irrigation  Survey 
and  Mr.  E.  M.  Douglas  transferred  from  the  Montana  Division  and 
placed  in  charge  of  that  of  California  and  Nevada.  Under  Mr. 
Douglas's  direction  the  work  is  progressing  satisfactorily. 

This  division  had  completed  the  survey  of  1,716  square  miles  up 
to  June  1,  1889,  on  the  field  scale  of  1  inch  to  1  mile  and  in  con- 
tours having  a  vertical  interval  of  100  feet. 

Topography. — The  topography  of  the  area  surveyed  by  the  division 
has  varied  from  the  level  plains  of  the  Sacramento  Valley  through 
the  foot-hills  region  to  the  crest  line  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains. 
i  The  maps  produced  will  show  the  details  of  topography,  the  situa- 
tion of  possible  reservoir  sites,  the  approximate  location  of  canal 
lines,  and  approximate  areas  of  irrigable  lands.  The  Chico  and  Bid- 
well  Bar  sheets  are  traversed  by  streams  flowing  in  deep  canyons  too 
far  below  the  general  surface  of  the  country  to  be  used  for  irrigat- 
ing more  than  their  immediate  valleys.  Only  few  sites  for  reser- 
voirs are  here  found,  and  these  of  limited  area. 

The  Downieville  sheet  presents  broad  valleys,  wooded  ridges  and 
.  high  mountains.     On  this  sheet  are  many  lakes  which  could  be  con- 
verted into  reservoirs,  and  others  could  be  constructed  in  many  of 
the  valleys.     It  is  thought  all  the  precipitation  of  this  area  can  be 
thus  stored. 

The  Jackson  sheet  is  mostly  within  the  foot-hills  region  ;  is  trav- 
ersed by  streams  running  far  below  the  general  level  of  the  country, 
and  water  to  irrigate  the  uplands  must  be  brought  from  long  dis- 
tances. Not  many  sites  for  reservoirs  were  discovered  in  this  area. 

The  Lodi  sheet  is  mostly  level  or  gently  rolling  country,  and  lying 
in  the  Sacramento  Valley  can  easily  be  irrigated  from  the  streams 
traversing  it  and  from  storage  reservoirs. 

The  topography  of  the  Pyramid  Peak,  Truckee,  Markleville  and 


68  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

Carson  sheets  is  rugged  in  the  extreme,  being  largely  composed  of 
high,  bare  mountains,  and  narrow  intervening  valleys,  but  the  work 
has  not  progressed  far  enough  to  make  it  possible  to  speak  of  the 
topography  of  these  sheets  with  much  detail.  A  considerable  num- 
ber of  reservoir  sites  have  been  found,  but  the  irrigable  lands  are 
mostly  confined  to  the  Carson  and  Truckee  sheets. 


COLORADO. 


It  was  decided  to  commence  work  in  this  State  at  two  points,  viz. , 
on  the  South  Platte  River,  near  Denver,  and  on  the  Arkansas  River, 
near  Pueblo.  The  work  in  the  former  area  was  assigned  to  the 
special  party  under  Mr.  Anton  Karl,  and  the  latter  to  Mr.  Willard 
D.  Johnson,  with  Mr.  John  W.  Hays  as  assistant  in  charge  of  a 
party.  Both  organizations  proceeded  to  their  field  of  work  early 
in  October,  but  such  was  the  labor  in  organizing  and  outfitting,  that 
it  was  late  in  the  month  before  actual  field  work  could  be  com- 
menced. 

The  work  assigned  Mr.  Karl  was  practically  the  revision  of  previ- 
ously constructed  maps  of  the  Denver,  and  a  portion  of  the  Golden 
atlas  sheets.  He  completed  the  field  work — 1,250  square  miles — 
early  in  December,  and  was  instructed  to  transfer  his  field  assistants 
and  material  to  Mr.  Johnson,  and  proceed  himself  to  Washington, 
D.  C.,  for  office  work  connected  with  the  reduction  of  his  field  data. 

Mr.  Johnson  organized  two  parties,  one  under  his  own  personal 
direction,  and  another  under  charge  of  his  assistant,  Mr.  Hays,  both 
for  topographic  work.  The  organization  and  outfitting  were  com- 
pleted on  October  25,  and  both  parties  took  the  field  and,  reinforced 
on  the  disbandment  of  Mr.  Karl's  party  by  his  field  assistants, 
continued  work  in  the  plains  region  of  the  drainage  basin  of  the 
Arkansas  the  entire  winter,  and  until  May  1,  1889,  without  material 
change. 

On  May  1,  Mr.  C.  H.  Fitch  and  Mr.  Morris  Bien  were  assigned  to 
Mr.  Johnson's  division  as  assistants,  and  he  was  instructed  to  organ- 
ize two  additional  parties  for  work  under  their  direction  in  the  moun- 
tain region  of  the  Arkansas  drainage  basin.  Mr.  Johnson  completed 
the  organization  and  outfitting  of  his  new  parties  and  placed  them 
in  the  field  June  1.  At  this  time  he  also  reorganized  the  remainder 
of  his  force,  forming  more  and  smaller  parties,  in  charge  of  field 
assistants,  and  on  June  30,  1889,  had  completed  the  field  work  of 
11,400  square  miles,  lying  mostly  between  the  eastern  base  of  the 
mountains  and  longitude  102°  30',  and  latitude  37°  and  39°.  This 
area,  together  with  the  1,250  square  miles  of  revision  work  on  the 
Denver  and  Golden  sheets,  makes  12,650  square  miles  of  origiDal  and 
revision  work  for  this  division  done  on  the  field  scale  of  1  inch  to 
1  mile,  and  in  contours  having  a  vertical  interval  of  25  feet  in  the 
plains  and  50  feet  in  the  foot-hills  regions. 


REPORT  OF  PROF.  A.  H.  THOMPSON.  69 

Topography. — The  topography  of  the  area  surveyed  by  this  divis- 
ion may  be  classed  as  of  the  Plains  type  throughout.  On  the  Den- 
ver and  Golden  atlas  sheets,  the  valley  of  the  South  Platte  River 
forms  the  most  conspicuous  feature,  traversing,  as  it  does,  almost  the 
middle  line  of  this  area  from  south  to  north,  and  occupying  the  low- 
est altitude.  On  the  west  of  the  river  the  country  gradually  rises  to 
the  foot-hills  of  the  mountains.  The  surface  of  this  sloping  plain  is 
quite  undulating,  and  sometimes  presents  broken  mesas  and  narrow 
valleys.  It  is  drained  by  Turkey,  Bear,  Clear,  and  Rock  Creeks. 
Broad  areas  of  cultivable  lands  are  found,  and  the  irrigator  has  al- 
ready appropriated  the  waters  of  the  traversing  streams.  A  few  sites 
for  reservoirs  of  limited  area  were  discovered.  In  some  cases  these 
might  be  filled  by  the  storm-waters  of  the  adjacent  region ;  in  others, 
by  conducting  the  stream-waters  to  them  during  the  non-irrigat- 
ing season.  To  the  east  of  the  Platte  River  Valley  the  surface  of  the 
country  rises  by  gentle  undulations  to  the  divide  between  the  river 
and  Box  Elder  Creek.  It  also  gradually  increases  in  altitude  from 
the  northern  edge  of  the  Denver  atlas  sheet  to  its  southern  limit,  thus 
forming  a  segment  of  a  bowl-shaped  depression,  having  Denver  near 
its  lowest  point.  This  area  is  drained  by  Cherry  and  Coal  Creeks 
and  smaller  tributaries  of  the  Platte.  Large  areas  of  irrigable  lands 
exist,  and  sites  for  small  reservoirs  are  quite  frequent.  A  consider- 
able portion  of  this  area  is  now  irrigated  by  the  waters  of  the  South 
Platte  River  and  Cherry  Creek,  but  many  reservoir  sites,  especially 
those  where  storm  waters  could  be  stored,  were  found  above  the 
lines  possible  to  be  reached  from  these  sources. 

The  valley  of  Box  Elder  Creek,  a  tributary  of  the  South  Platte 
River,  occupies  the  eastern  portion  of  the  Denver  atlas  sheet.  It 
contains  large  areas  of  good  irrigable  lands.  The  creek  carries  but 
little  water  except  during  the  winter  and  spring  months.  Reservoirs 
might  be  constructed  in  this  valley  near  the  southern  line  of  the 
sheet,  but  it  is  thought  better  opportunities  are  presented  further 
south  and  nearer  its  head. 

The  immediate  valley  of  the  Arkansas  River  traverses  from  west 
to  east  nearly  the  central  portion  of  the  area  mapped  within  its  drain- 
age basin,  and  forms  a  dividing  line  between  two  areas  quite  distinct 
in  topographic  details.  The  altitude  of  the  valley  is  5,000  feet  at  the 
western  limit  of  the  work,  and  3,750  at  the  eastern.  It  is  for  the 
most  part  a  narrow  plain  bounded  by  well  defined  bluffs  on  either 
side  and,  lying  but  a  few  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water  in  the 
river,  can  be  easily  irrigated  from  that  source.  North  of  the  Arkan- 
sas Valley  the  country  gradually  rises  from  the  bluff  line  to  the 
divide  between  the  Arkansas  and  the  South  Platte  and  Republican 
Rivers.  This  slope  has  its  greatest  altitude  at  its  western  edge,  where 
the  front  range  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  rises  abruptly  from  its  sur- 
face, and  decreases  to  the  eastern  limit  of  our  work,  thus  giving  a 


70  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

general  slope  of  the  whole  area  towards  the  southeast;  and  this  is 
also  the  usual  course  of  its  drainage  lines. 

The  Fountain,  Chico,  Black  Squirrel,  Horse,  Adobe,  Rush  and 
Big  Sandy  Creeks  are  names  of  the  principal  water-ways,  but  only 
the  first  is  a  permanent  stream,  though  the  others  usually  carry 
water  during  the  early  spring  months  and  after  the  storms  of  the 
rainy  summer  season  are  often  raging  torrents.  These  water-ways 
have  wide  valleys  with  short  lateral  branches,  thus  leaving  broad 
gently  undulating  mesa-like  areas  between  every  considerable  drain- 
age line.  Quite  frequently  these  undulating  plateaus  do  not  drain 
into  the  adjacent  valleys,  but  into  depressions  on  their  surface,  form- 
ing natural  basins  or  reservoirs.  These  are  most  numerous  on  the 
Nepesta,  Catlin  and  Las  Animas  sheets.  Some  are  of  large  extent. 
One  near  Meredith,  Colo. ,  having  a  drainage  basin  of  40  square  miles, 
has  a  lake  of  about  2  square  miles  in  area  at  its  lowest  point.  Two 
were  noted  on  the  Nepesta  sheet  nearly  circular,  about  a  mile  in  di- 
ameter and  at  the  lowest  point  50  feet  in  depth.  Other  depressions 
with  outlets  need  only  slight  embankments  to  make  reservoirs. 
There  are  two  sources  of  water  supply  :  First,  the  storm  water  of 
the  region ;  this  is  often  enormous  in  quantity,  over  limited  areas  a 
fall  of  6  inches  in  as  many  hours  having  been  noted  by  Mr.  Hay's 
party;  secondly,  from  the  waters  of  the  Arkansas  River,  conducted 
by  a  high  line  canal  near  the  crest  of  the  water  shed.  Almost  the 
whole  of  this  area  possesses  a  deep  fertile  soil  lying  at  slopes  suita- 
ble for  irrigation. 

South  of  the  Arkansas  Valley  the  topography  is  more  broken,  but 
still  presents  the  general  features  of  a  great  plain  sloping  toward 
the  north  and  east,  and  cut  diagonally  across  by  drainage  lines  hav- 
ing a  generally  northeasterly  course.  The  extreme  western  portion 
.of  this  area  reaches  well  up  on  the  flanks  of  the  Greenhorn  Mount- 
ains and  presents  the  steep  slopes  and  cliffs  and  half  mesas  of  the 
foot-hills  region.  Farther  to  the  east  the  central  portion  of  the 
plain  rises  in  a  long  gentle  swell  parallel  to,  but  at  some  distance 
from,  the  Arkansas  River.  This  swell  is  cut  by  the  southern  tribu- 
taries of  the  Arkansas,  in  canyons  sometimes  having  walls  1,500  to 
2,000  feet  in  height,  and  bears  on  its  crest  a  line  of  mesa-like  buttes. 
The  eastern  portion  gradually  decreases  in  altitude  and  roughness, 
slopes  more  toward  the  east  and  merges  its  mesa-like  aspect  into  the 
true  plains  type.  There  are  quite  a  number  of  permanent  streams 
in  this  region,  the  St.  Charles,  Huerfano,  Apishapa,  Timpas,  Las 
Animas  and  Two  Buttes  being  the  principal.  These  streams  are  all 
subject  to  sudden  floods  during  the  rainy  season.  Throughout  the 
whole  area  surveyed  south  of  the  Arkansas  the  topography  presents 
many  favorable  locations  for  the  construction  of  reservoirs  to  store 
both  stream  and  storm  waters.  In  the  areas  included  by  the  Pueblo, 
Waisenburg,  Apishapa,  El  Moro,  Timpas  and  Higbee  sheets  the 


REFOBT    OF    PROF.    A.    II.    THOMPSON.  71 

streams  often  cut  through,  the  ridges  and  mesas  in  narrow  canyons, 
where  dams  controlling  basins  of  considerable  areas  could  be  easily 
and  cheaply  constructed.  Sometimes  these  stream  reservoirs  can 
be  used  as  settling  basins  and  the  waters  after  depositing  their  sedi- 
ment conducted  to  other  basins  for  storage  until  used,  thus  iu  a  great 
measure  preventing  the  rapid  destruction  of  reservoirs  by  silting 
up ;  a  danger  of  no  small  magnitude  in  this  region,  where  in  some 
streams  10  per  cent,  of  the  volume  of  a  summer  flood  may  be  com- 
posed of  sediment. 

The  less  rugged  topography  of  the  Two  Buttes  and  Springfield 
sheets  also  furnishes  many  opportunities  for  storm-water  reservoirs. 

Broad  areas  of  irrigable  lands  are  found  everywhere  within  the  lim- 
its surveyed  by  this  division.  North  of  the  dividing  Arkansas  Val- 
ley the  areas  are  greater  in  extent  and  the  soil  more  easily  cultivated 
than  south.  Only  a  small  portion  of  the  area  surveyed  is  covered  by 
forests.  These  are  mostly  on  the  El  Moro,  Walsenburg  and  Pueblo 
sheets,  and  the  forest  growth  is  mostly  composed  of  cedar  and  pinon 
pine.  A  limited  growth  of  cotton  wood  also  occurs  along  the  streams 
in  other  portions,  but  the  uplands  bear  hardly  a  forest  tree. 


MONTANA. 


At  the  time  of  the  organization  of  the  Irrigation  Survey  topograph- 
ic work  was  being  carried  on  in  Montana  in  charge  of  Mr.  Doug- 
las, with  Mr.  Frank  Tweedy  as  assistant.  Two  parties  were  em- 
ployed: a  topographic  and  triangulation  party  under  Mr.  Douglas's 
personal  direction,  and  a  topographic  party  under  Mr.  Tweedy. 
These  organizations  were  transferred  to  the  Irrigation  Survey 
and  directed  to  continue  the  work  already  begun  on  the  Dillon, 
Helena  and  Phillipsburg  sheets.  By  November  15  an  area  of  3,600 
square  miles  had  been  surveyed,  completing  the  two  sheets  first 
named  and  1,000  square  miles  on  the  last,  all  on  the  scale  of  1  inch=2 
miles,  and  in  contours  having  the  vertical  interval  of  200  feet.  Mr. 
Douglas  was  then  directed  to  disband  his  parties  and  report  with  his 
assistant  to  Washington  for  office  work  on  the  completed  sheets. 

Topography. — The  topography  of  the  area  surveyed  in  Montana 
is  of  the  mountain  type,  the  whole  region  being  composed  of  rugged 
ranges  and  intervening  valleys.  The  Continental  or  main  Rocky 
Mountain  divide,  separating  the  waters  flowing  to  the  Atlantic 
Ocean  from  those  flowing  to  the  Pacific,  passes  from  north  to  south 
through  nearly  the  middle  of  the  Helena  atlas  sheet,  then  trends  more 
to  the  west,  leaving  the  Phillipsburgh  sheet  on  the  Pacific  slope  and  the 
Dillon  on  the  Atlantic.  The  principal  Streams  on  the  western  slope 
are  Flint  Creek  in  the  Phillipsburgh  and  the  Deer  Lodge  and  Black- 
foot  Creeks  in  the  Helena  sheets.  These  streams  flow  through  con- 
siderable valleys,  that  of  the  Deer  Lodge  being  about  50  miles  long 
and  from  5  to  8  miles  wide,  while  the  Flint  and  Blackfoot,  though 


72  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

smaller,  are  of  considerable  magnitude.  From  these  valleys  the 
country  rapidly  rises  in  grass-covered  foot-hills  to  the  highest  mount- 
ains. On  the  eastern  slope  in  the  Helena  sheet  are  many  small 
streams  flowing  from  the  divide  into  the  Jefferson  and  Missouri 
Rivers.  The  valleys  along  these  streams  are  generally  narrow,  with 
but  limited  areas  of  level  lands,  though  the  lower  valley  of  Prickly 
Pear  Creek  is  an  exception.  The  Dillon  sheet  is  drained  by  the  Jef- 
ferson River  and  its  upper  branches,  the  Big  Hole,  Beaver  Head  and 
Stinking  Water. 

Along  the  courses  of  these  rivers  and  those  of  their  larger  tribu- 
taries the  level  valley  lands  vary  from  half  a  mile  to  3  miles  in  width, 
and  are  generally  free  from  forest  growth.  From  these  valleys  the 
country  rises  by  broken  grassy  slopes  usually  free  from  timber,  and 
gradually  increasing  in  steepness  to  the  mountains.  The  mount- 
ain ranges  throughout  the  area  surveyed  generally  present  steep 
rocky  slopes,  bare  near  the  high  summits  but  lower  down  covered 
with  forests  of  pine,  spruce  and  fir,  and  on  the  still  lower  slopes 
grass  clad.  The  highest  summits  are  between  10,000  and  11,000 
feet  above  sea  level,  and  the  melting  snows  usually  furnish  to 
the  draining  streams  an  abundant  supply  of  water  for  the  valleys 
below,  the  most  notable  exception  to  this  being  in  the  northeastern 
portion  of  the  Helena  sheet.  In  the  upper  courses  of  the  streams 
a  few  sites  suitable  for  reservoirs  were  found,  but  lower  down, 
where  the  average  fall  is  not  more  than  30  feet  to  the  mile,  numer- 
ous parks  occur.  These  might  easily  be  converted  into  reservoirs. 
There  are  also  lakes  of  considerable  areas  on  the  Phillipsburgh  and 
Dillon  sheets  which  could  easily  be  converted  into  storage  basins  ; 
but  where  the  storage  of  water  is  most  needed  on  the  Atlantic  slope 
of  the  Helena  sheet  but  few  reservoir  sites,  and  these  of  very  lim- 
ited drainage  area,  were  found.  The  valley  lands  are  usually  level, 
easily  irrigated  from  the  traversing  streams,  and,  when  at  not  too 
great  an  altitude,  produce  abundant  crops. 

NEW  MEXICO. 

In  New  Mexico  the  topographic  work  of  the  Geological  Survey 
was  under  charge  of  Mr.  Arthur  P.  Davis,  assisted  by  Mr.  Robert 
H.  Chapman.  Two  parties  were  engaged.  These  were  transferred, 
October  3,  to  the  Irrigation  Survey,  and  a  third  party,  under  Mr.  R. 
Henry  Phillips,  was  organized.  With  some  changes  of  scale  and  of 
matters  of  detail  the  work  already  begun  was  continued  on  the  Santa 
Clara,  Jemez,  Albuquerque  and  San  Pedro  sheets  till  January  15, 
1889,  when  all  except  the  San  Pedro  sheet  were  completed,  work 
here  being  suspended  on  account  of  the  prevalence  of  small-pox  in 
the  towns  and  the  consequent  quarantine  enforced  against  all  persons 
coming  from  the  infected  districts.  On  January  15  the  parties  of 
Mr.  Davis  and  Mr.  Chapman  were  disbanded,  Messrs.  Davis  and 


REPORT  OF  PROF.  A.  H.  THOMPSON.  73 

Chapman  being  directed  to  proceed  to  Washington  for  office  work. 
Mr.  Phillips  with  his  party  was  directed  to  proceed  to  El  Paso, 
Tex.,  and,  commencing  in  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  near  that 
place,  to  extend  work  by  atlas  sheets  northward.  Mr.  Phillips  reached 
El  Paso  February  1,  and  by  May  1  had  completed  the  El  Paso  andLas 
Cruces  sheets.  He  was  then  directed  to  proceed  to  the  San  Pedro 
sheet  and  complete  the  unfinished  work  on  that  area.  He  success- 
fully accomplished  this  June  30,  1889.  This  division  surveyed  an 
an  area  of  3,800  square  miles  on  the  field  scale  of  1  inch=l  mile  and 
in  contours  having  a  vertical  interval  of  100  feet  in  the  mountain 
region  and  50  feet  in  the  valleys. 

Topography. — The  topography  of  three-fourths  of  the  northern 
portion  of  the  area  surveyed  may  be  classed  as  mountainous ;  the 
remaining  fourth  and  the  southern  area  as  of  the  plains  type.  The 
northern  area  comprises  the  contiguous  atlas  sheets  of  Jemez,  Santa 
Clara,  Albuquerque  and  San  Pedro.  The  Rio  Grande  flows  through 
this  area  from  northeast  to  south,  having  for  its  principal  tributaries 
the  Puerco  and  Jemez  Rivers  on  the  west  and  Santa  F6*  and  Galisteo 
Creeks  on  the  east.  Through  the  northern  third  of  its  course  it  flows 
in  a  deep,  narrow,  almost  impassable  canyon,  and  through  the  south- 
ern portion  in  a  broad,  sandy  plain,  having  a  general  elevation  of 
5,000  feet. 

The  Jemez  is  formed  by  streams  draining  the  high  valleys  of  Tewan 
Mountains.  In  its  upper  course  it  flows  through  narrow  canyons,  but 
lower  down  in  a  broad  sandy  plain.  Only  the  lower  portions  of  the 
Santa  F6  and  Galisteo  Creeks  are  in  the  area  surveyed,  and  both  here 
flow  across  broad  plains.  The  Tewan  Mountains  occupy  the  northern 
portion  of  the  area  west  of  the  Rio  Grande,  their  mesa-like  summits 
ranging  from  8,000  to  12,000  feet  in  altitude.  Between  these  sum- 
mits are  broad  valleys,  having  narrow  canyon  outlets.  The  draining 
streams  flowing  eastward  join  the  Rio  Grande,  those  flowing  west- 
ward unite  and  form  the  Jemez  River. 

The  southwestern  or  Albuquerque  sheet  area  comprises  the  broad 
valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  and  the  lava-capped  mesas  between  that 
stream  and  the  Rio  Puerco.  East  of  the  Rio  Grande  the  southern 
portion  of  the  Santa  Clara  sheet  is  occupied  by  the  arid  Cerrillos 
hills,  low  in  altitude  and  irregular  in  distribution. 

The  northern  part  of  the  San  Pedro  sheet  is  occupied  by  the  Ortiz 
Mountains  and  the  Galisteo  Valley.  The  Sandia  Mountain,  an  im- 
mense block,  10,400  feet  in  altitude,  with  a  nearly  vertical  western  face 
and  a  long  sloping  terrace  towards  the  east,  occupies  the  western 
portion.  Between  it  and  the  Ortiz  Mountains  is  the  rough,  broken 
San  Pedro  Valley,  extending  in  the  southeastern  corner  of  the  atlas 
sheet  onto  the  Pecos  plains.  In  the  high  valleys  of  that  portion  of  the 
Tewan  Mountains  drained  by  the  Jemez  River  are  many  sites  for 
reservoirs  of  some  considerable  area.  Along  the  Rio  Puerco,  in  the 


74  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

western  part  of  the  Albuquerque  sheet,  are  also  sites  where  reservoirs 
of  limited  area  might  be  constructed.  The  Galisteo  and  Santa  F£ 
Creeks  also  afford  sites,  but  it  is  thought  that  better  opportunities  oc- 
cur near  the  headwaters  of  these  streams.  Smaller  reservoir  sites  for 
the  storage  of  storm  waters  are  frequently  found,  especially  on  the  San 
Pedro  and  Albuquerque  sheets  and  on  the  southwestern  part  of  the 
Santa  Clara.  Indeed,  on  the  sheets  named  outside  of  the  immediate 
valleys  of  the  Rio  Grande,  Puerco  and  Galisteo,  irrigation  must  be 
dependent  on  the  storage  of  storm  waters.  There  are  considerable 
areas  of  good  irrigable  lands  throughout  the  whole  area,  but  by  far 
the  largest  body  is  within  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  from  the  In- 
dian puebio  of  Cochiti  to  the  southern  limit  of  the  work,  an  area 
approximately  50  miles  in  length  and  from  1  to  4  miles  in  breadth. 
The  next  large  bodies  are  along  the  Rio  Puerco  and  Jemez  River,  on 
the  Albuquerque  sheet,  and  on  the  Pecos  plains,  in  the  San  Pedro. 

FIELD   METHODS. 
CHARACTER  OF  WORK. 

In  the  construction  of  maps  for  the  use  of  the  Irrigation  Survey, 
accurate  representation  of  certain  topographic  features,  within  the 
limits  of  the  scales  adopted,  was  deemed  absolutely  essential.  First, 
the  correct  determination  of  the  drainage  areas  of  all  streams  ;  sec- 
ond, the  correct  location  of  all  drainage  lines  >  third,  the  correct  rep- 
resentation of  all  hypsometric  features  by  means  of  contour  lines 
representing  equal  vertical  intervals  and  showing  absolute  and  rela- 
tive altitudes  as  well  as  the  angle  of  slope  of  all  surfaces.  Maps  so 
constructed  upon  proper  horizontal  and  vertical  scales  show  the  sit- 
uation of  all  reservoir  sites  of  any  considerable  area,  approximate 
location  of  possible  dams  and  canal  lines,  and,  with  the  necessary 
notes  upon  the  character  of  the  soil,  the  situation  of  all  irrigable 
lands,  thus  giving  the  construction  engineer  necessary  information 
upon  which  to  base  the  details  of  his  plans  and  estimates  for  irriga- 
tion works. 

METHODS  OF   CONTROL. 

The  work  in  all  the  divisions  was  conducted  by  essentially  the 
same  methods  varying  in  details  only  when  influenced  by  local  con- 
siderations. These  comprised  a  method  of  determining  linear  dis- 
tances or  horizontal  control,  a  method  of  determining  altitudes  or 
vertical  control,  and  a  method  of  representing  topographic  forms. 

HORIZONTAL  CONTROL. 

The  determination  of  the  linear  distances  between  points  on  the 
surface  of  the  regions  mapped  was  based  primarily  on  the  extension 
of  a  system  of  triangulation  having  sides  of  considerable  length  over 


EEPORT  OF  PROF.  A.  H.  THOMPSON.  75 

the  whole  area,  the  length,  geographic  position,  and  azimuth  of  one 
side  of  the  initial  triangle  in  each  system  being  determined  with  the 
utmost  accuracy.  All  the  angles  of  each  triangle  were  repeatedly 
measured  by  instruments  of  precision  and  the  apices  or  stations  per- 
manently marked.  If  possible  at  least  two  stations  of  this  primary 
triangulation  were  located  011  each  atlas  sheet.  Within  this  system 
of  primary  triangles,  and  depending  upon  it,  a  secondary  system, 
either  mathematical  or  graphic,  and  having  sides  of  lesser  length,  was 
developed,  and,  if  necessary,  within  this  second  a  third  system  of  like 
character,  thus  determining  the  position  and  distances  between  a 
great  number  of  points  over  the  whole  area  surveyed.  In  the  differ- 
ent divisions  the  triangulation  depends  upon  different  bases.  In 
California  and  Nevada  it  was  derived  from  the  primary  stations  of 
the  Transcontinental  Triangulation  of  the  United  States  Coast  and 
Geodetic  Survey.  In  Colorado,  it  rests  both  upon  the  primary 
stations  of  the  Transcontinental  Triangulation  of  the  Coast  and 
Geodetic  Survey  and  upon  stations  determined  by  the  United  States 
Geological  Survey  of  the  Territories,  under  charge  of  Dr.  F.  V. 
Hayden.  In  Montana,  upon  stations  of  the  United  States  Geological 
Survey  derived  from  a  base  line  measured  at  Bozemaii,  and  in  New 
Mexico  upon  stations  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey  de- 
rived from  a  base  line  measured  at  Fort  Wingate.  From  points 
thus  determined  in  the  triangulation  all  the  principal  topographic 
features  of  the  country  capable  of  being  repersented  on  the  scales 
adopted  were  located  on  the  field-sheet  by  plane-table  methods. 

In  addition  a  great  many  horizontal  distances  and  directions  were 
measured  by  plane-table  traverse  methods,  using  the  compass  for  di- 
rections and  some  form  of  odometer  for  distances.  These  measure- 
ments were  corrected  and  adjusted  by  the  accurately  determined  po- 
sitions of  the  triangulation  stations.  All  public  roads,  all  the  streams, 
many  drainage  lines,  cliff  edges,  valleys,  and  frequent  lines  across 
the  country  were  thus  measured,  and  a  complete  net-work  of  ac- 
curately determined  distances  extended  over  the  whole  area. 

VERTICAL  CONTROL. 

The  altitudes  of  points  in  the  area  mapped  were  determined  by 
horizontal  leveling,  angulation,  and  the  use  of  both  mercurial  and 
aneroid  barometers.  In  the  use  of  mercurial  barometers  stations 
on  the  railroad  lines  running  through  the  country  were  assumed  as 
bench-marks,  and  level  lines  were  run  from  these  to  places  occupied 
for  base  barometer  stations,  and  these  points  were  then  used  as 
secondary  bench  or  reference  marks  to  which  all  the  barometer  and 
angular  leveling  of  the  adjacent  atlas  sheets  was  referred.  In  areas 
where  mercurial  barometers  were  not  used,  points  for  secondary 
bench  or  reference  marks  were  located  by  level  lines  or  by  angu- 
lation, and  to  these  were  referred  all  the  angular  and  aneroid  baro- 


76  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

metric  observations.  Several  of  these  secondary  bench-marks  were 
located  on  each  atlas  sheet.  When  aneroid  barometers  were  used 
they  were  compared  several  times  daily  with  altitudes  of  known 
points  determined  by  other  methods,  and  thus  a  check  kept  on  their 
errors.  The  altitudes  of  all  points  located  by  plane-table  intersec- 
tions were  determined  by  angulation. 

CONTROL  OF  REPRESENTATION. 

The  outlines  and  details  of  topographic  forms  were  secured  by 
plane-table  work  on  stations  occupied,  and  by  sketches  from  the 
stations  in  the  plane-table  traverses.  This  work  was  done  in  contours 
closely  located  and  having  a  prescribed  vertical  interval.  In  some 
cases,  the  topographer  performed  his  computations  and  located  his 
contour  lines  with  precision  in  the  field.  In  others  the  contours  were 
located  approximately,  their  final  position  being  determined  by  the 
reduction  of  field  observations.  Special  attention  was  paid  to  the 
correct  location  of  the  courses  of  streams,the  outlines  of  valleys,  cliffs, 
benches  and  terraces,  and  the  slopes  of  all  irrigable  lands. 

OFFICE   WORK. 

Immediately  on  the  disbandment  of  parties  in  the  field  the  per- 
sons belonging  to  the  permanent  force  were  directed  to  report  to 
the  office  of  the  Geological  Survey  in  Washington  for  office  work  in 
the  reduction  of  their  observations  and  the  final  plotting  and  draw- 
ing of  the  maps. 

ORGANIZATION. 

The  office  force  was  organized  by  giving  each  chief  of  a  division 
charge  of  the  office  work  of  that  division,  and  assigning  the  heads  of 
parties  and  assistants  having  charge  of  separate  branches  of  the 
work  to  conduct  and  assist  in  the  work  on  that  particular  area,  thus 
securing  in  the  construction  of  the  maps  all  the  knowledge  gained 
by  personal  observations  in  the  field. 

CALIFORNIA   AND  NEVADA. 

Office  work  on  the  California  atlas  sheets  commenced  December  1, 
and  continued,  under  charge  of  Mr.  H.  M.  Wilson,  till  May  30,  1889, 
completing  the  Chico,  Bidwell  Bar,  Downeeville  and  Jackson  sheets, 
and  part  of  the  Lodi  sheet,  ready  for  engraving. 

The  area  surveyed  in  Nevada  being  small  it  was  thought  best  to 
defer  the  final  plotting  of  the  work  until  another  season  ;  however, 
all  the  data  depending  upon  personal  reduction  for  accuracy  were 
carefully  prepared  and  with  the  other  field-notes  filed  for  use  when 
necessary.  On  the  completion  of  the  office  work  of  this  division  all 
persons  engaged  were  directed  to  proceed  to  California  and  Nevada 
for  field  work. 


REPORT    OF    PROF.    A.    H.    THOMPSON.  7V 

COLORADO. 

On  return  of  Mr.  Anton  Karl  from  the  field  he  immediately  com- 
menced the  reduction  of  his  observations  and  the  final  drawing  of 
the  Denver  and  a  portion  of  the  Golden  atlas  sheets.  He  completed 
the  work  ready  for  engraving  early  in  April  and  was  then  trans- 
ferred to  work  in  the  Geological  Survey.  No  office  work  has  been 
done  by  the  parties  under  charge  of  Mr.  W.  D.  Johnson. 

MONTANA. 

Office  work  on  the  Montana  atlas  sheets  was  commenced,  under 
charge  of  Mr.  E.  M.  Douglas,  December  1,  1888,  and  continued  until 
May  15,  1889,  completing  the  Helena  and  Dillon  sheets  and  1,000 
square  miles  on  the  Phillipsburg  sheet  ready  for  engraving.  On  the 
completion  of  the  office  work  Mr.  Douglas  was  transferred  to  the 
charge  of  the  California  and  Nevada  Division,  and  Mr.  Tweedy  di- 
rected to  proceed  to  Montana  for  field  work. 

NEW  MEXICO. 

Office  work  on  the  New  Mexico  atlas  sheets  was  commenced  Feb- 
ruary 1,  1889,  and  continued  under  charge  of  Mr.  Davis  till  June  15, 
1889,  when  the  Jemez,  Albuquerque  and  Santa  Clara  sheets  were  com- 
pleted ready  for  engraving.  On  account  of  the  incomplete  condition 
of  the  field  work  on  the  San  Pedro  sheet  it  was  decided  not  to  at- 
tempt its  final  drawing,  but  the  data  was  finally  revised  and  filed  for 
future  use.  On  May  1,  Mr.  Robert  H.  Chapman  completed  the  draw- 
ing of  the  maps  upon  which  he  had  conducted  field  work.  He  was 
then  transferred  to  the  California  and  Nevada  Division  and  directed 
to  proceed  to  Nevada  for  field  duty.  On  June  15,  Mr.  Davis  was  di- 
rected to  proceed  to  New  Mexico  and  again  assume  charge  of  field 
work,  leaving  no  office  force  at  present  engaged  in  Washington. 

I  herewith  transmit  maps  of  California,  Colorado,  Montana,  Ne- 
vada and  New  Mexico,  showing  areas  surveyed  by  the  difierent  di- 
visions during  the  fiscal  year.  I  also  transmit  a  detailed  statement, 
(Appendix  A)  of  the  amount  expended  in  the  prosecution  of  the 
work  under  my  charge  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1889. 
I  am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

A.  H.  THOMPSON, 
Geographer  in  charge, 

Hon.  J.  W.  POWELL, 

Director  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  Washington,  D.  C. 


78  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 


REPORT  OF  CAPT.  C.  E.  DUTTON. 

DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR, 
UNITED  STATES  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY, 

Washington,  D.  C.,  Nov.  1,  1889. 

SIR:  The  passage  of  the  sundry  civil  bill  on  October  2, 1888,  appro- 
priating $100,000  for  surveys  relating  to  irrigation,  devolved  upon 
this  bureau  a  new  kind  of  work  and  one  full  of  difficulties.  The  first 
step  was  a  determination  of  the  character  of  the  work  which  would 
be  required  to  carry  out  the  law,  and  the  second  was  to  organize  it. 
In  order  to  ascertain  the  extent  to  which  the  arid  lands  of  the  West 
are  capable  of  being  redeemed  by  irrigation,  to  select  reservoir  sites, 
and  to  segregate  irrigable  lands  four  inquiries  are  necessary  :  First, 
what  is  the  available  water  supply ;  second,  what  lands  are  cultiva- 
ble ;  third,  in  what  practical  way  can  water  be  brought  to  the  culti- 
vable lands ;  and,  fourth,  where  are  the  reservoir  sites,  and  what  is 
their  character  and  capacity  ? 

The  inquiry  as  to  the  available  water  supply  seemed  to  you  sepa- 
rable from  the  other  inquiries  and  for  this  investigation  it  was  de- 
cided to  employ  a  special  class  of  men.  The  selection  of  irrigable 
lands,  the  investigation  of  methods  of  irrigating  them,  and  the 
selection  of  reservoir  sites  required  the  services  of  men  skilled  in  the 
special  branch  of  engineering  which  deals  with  works  for  irrigation. 
Thus  two  lines  of  inquiry  were  suggested,  one  being  of  a  hydro- 
graphic,  the  other  of  an  engineering  character.  The  organization 
contemplated  by  you,  therefore,  embraced  a  corps  of  hydrographers 
and  a  corps  of  irrigation  engineers.  Of  the  topographic  work  deemed 
an  essential  part  of  the  inquiry,  I  do  not  speak,  as  it  is  under  the 
charge  of  another  division  officer. 

HYDROGRAPHIC  WORK. 

The  investigation  of  the  amount  of  water  available  involves  sev- 
eral subordinate  inquiries :  First,  the  amount  of  water  flowing  in 
the  streams,  and  the  variation  throughout  the  year ;  second,  the 
probable  amount  available  for  catchment  in  storage  reservoirs ; 
third,  the  probable  amount  of  loss  from  reservoirs  by  evaporation  ; 
fourth,  the  duty  of  water,  i.  e.,  the  amount  of  land  which  a  given 
quantity  may  be  made  to  irrigate. 

The  measurement  of  water  flowing  in  a  stream  is  not  an  easy  mat- 
ter. It  requires  skill  and  rather  costly  instruments.  While  the 
general  method  has  been  the  subject  of  much  inquiry  by  a  few  men, 
and  has  been  practiced  to  a  small  extent,  there  is  a  wide  variation  in 
details  and  considerable  uncertainty  or  discordance  in  results.  At 
the  beginning  of  the  organization  there  were  no  men  available  who 
possessed  the  requisite  experience  arid  skill  except  two  or  three  men 


REPORT  OF  CAPT.  C.  E.  BUTTON.  79 

who  were  occupying  responsible  positions,  and  it  was  doubtful  if 
they  could  be  induced  to  relinquish  them.  Neither  were  any  instru- 
ments to  be  found  in  the  market  as  articles  in  regular  supply,  and 
such  as  were  needed  must  be  made  to  special  order.  The  investigation 
of  the  amount  of  water  available  for  catchment  required  the  opening 
up  of  an  entirely  new  field  of  research.  The  measurement  of  the  loss 
by  evaporation  was  an  equally  novel  subject  and  full  of  difficulties. 

The  duty  of  water  has  been  investigated  carefully  in  other  countries 
and  to  a  very  limited  extent  in  our  own,  and  much  valuable  informa- 
tion was  accessible  on  this  subject  in  printed  form.  But  unfor- 
tunately the  results  in  one  locality  are  not  available  except  in  a  very 
rough  and  unsatisfactory  way  in  the  effort  to  infer  the  duty  of  water 
elsewhere.  Every  region  is  a  law  to  itself  in  this  matter,  and  the 
duty  varies  largely  in  localities  which  seem  to  be  similarly  circum- 
stanced. In  view  of  the  novelty  of  the  work  thus  devolved  upon 
the  survey,  of  the  impossibility  of  finding  men  skilled  in  the  work 
required,  of  want  of  instruments  adapted  to  the  work,  and  in  further 
view  of  the  fact  that  the  winter  was  near  at  hand,  during  which  the 
field  work  would,  in  most  portions  of  the  West,  be  impracticable,  it 
was  deemed  best  to  select  a  small  body  of  young  men  of  good  education 
and  high  general  intelligence  and  establish  them  at  some  advan- 
tageous station  where  they  could,  in  the  course  of  the  winter  months, 
acquire  a  knowledge  of  the  methods  and  instruments  they  would 
have  to  employ.  Fourteen  young  men  were  carefully  selected  and 
were  placed  in  a  camp  of  instruction,  situated  at  Embudo,  on  the  Rio 
Grande  River,  about  50  miles  north  of  Santa  F6,  in  New  Mexico, 
where  they  passed  the  winter  in  practicing  with  the  various  instru- 
ments selected  for  trial  and  in  becoming  familiar  with  the  theory 
and  practical  application  of  the  methods.  In  the  month  of  April 
the  camp  was  broken  up  and  the  men  distributed  to  their  respective 
fields  of  work. 

The  camp  of  instruction  at  Embudo  was  placed  in  charge  of  Mr. 
F.  H.  Newell,  and  the  work  required  of  the  men  consisted  in  practic- 
ing stream  gauging  by  various  methods,  measuring  the-rise  and  fall 
of  the  stream  from  day  to  day,  measuring  the  daily  evaporation,  and 
making  observations  with  meteorological  instruments. 

STREAM  GAUGING. 

In  measuring  the  flow  of  streams,  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  the 
flow  varies  from  time  to  time.  The  measurement  made  on  any  given 
day  while  the  river  keeps  a  steady  flow  for  an  hour  or  two,  is  good  only 
for  that  day  and  hour,  and  for  times  when  the  river  is  at  the  same 
stage.  A  small  rise  in  the  stream  is  accompanied  by  a  large  increase 
in  the  flow,  and  a  small  fall  by  a  large  decrease  in  the  flow.  To  as- 
certain the  flow  during  a  considerable  period  of  time  and  thus  obtain 
an  average  for  varying  stages,  two  distinct  classes  of  measurement 


80  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

are  necessary  :  First,  the  amount  of  flow  corresponding  to  each  and 
every  stage ;  second,  a  continuous  record  of  the  rise  and  fall. 

(1)  Measurement  of  flow. — There  are  four  methods  of  gauging 
the  flow  of  a  stream :  (a)  by  weirs  ;  (6)  by  floats ;  (c)  by  formula ; 
(d)  by  meters. 

Weirs  are  practicable  and  economical  only  in  the  case  of  small 
streams  at  low  water,  and  in  such  cases  the  system  is  preferable  to  all 
others.  When  the  depth  of  the  water  passing  over  the  weir  much  ex- 
ceeds a  foot  it  becomes  sometimes  uncertain.  In  streams  not  exceeding 
25  to  30  feet  in  width,  and  carrying  not  more  than  40  or  50  cubic  feet  of 
water  per  second,  a  weir  may  be  constructed  quickly  and  cheaply. 
It  is  almost  certain  to  be  swept  away  by  high  water,  but  if  small  and 
in  shallow  water  it  can  be  easily  replaced.  It  is  desirable,  however, 
to  select  stations  where  the  water  above  the  weir  has  no  sensible 
"  velocity  of  approach"  other  than  that  produced  by  the  constant 
movement  of  water  over  the  weir,  as  it  is  difficult  to  make  proper 
allowance  for  it. 

Gauging  by  floats  is  the  crudest  and  most  unreliable  of  all  methods. 
It  consists  in  throwing  floating  objects  into  the  water  and  noting  the 
length  of  time  occupied  by  the  float  in  moving  through  a  measured 
distance  down  the  stream.  The  distance  divided  by  the  time  is  the 
mean  velocity  of  the  motion  of  the  float.  But  this  velocity  of  the 
float  is  not  the  mean  velocity  of  the  stream,  which  varies  in  different 
parts  of  the  width  and  at  different  depths.  As  a  rough  and  ready 
rule  the  mean  velocity  of  the  stream  is  taken  to  be  about  four-fifths 
the  velocity  of  the  float.  This  is  no  doubt  a  fair  approximation 
where  the  cross-section  of  the-  stream  is  symmetrical,  the  current 
smooth,  regular  and  free  from  eddies,  and  its  course  free  from  ob- 
structions. But  in  small  or  medium-sized  rivers  such  conditions  are 
rare  and  the  whole  method  of  measurement  is  liable  to  great  uncer- 
tainties and  it  is  impracticable  in  large  rivers. 

Gauging  by  formula  is  based  upon  the  assumption  that  with  a 
given  cross-section  the  mean  velocity  of  flow  bears  a  certain  ratio  to 
the  declivity  down  which  the  water  moves.  The  declivity  may  be 
accurately  ascertained  by  the  spirit  level.  With  a  given  declivity 
the  flow  will  vary  with  the  cross-section,  being  greater  when  the 
latter  is  narrow  and  deep  than  when  it  is  broad  and  shallow.  The 
effect  of  the  form  of  the  cross-section  has  been  experimentally  inves- 
tigated by  several  hydrographers  and  an  empirical  formula  has  been 
devised  for  it  which  seems  to  give  very  fair  results  when  the  cross- 
section  is  not  of  very  irregular  form  and  when  the  bottom  is  not  in- 
cumbered  with  large  stones  and  other  obstacles.  In  general,  how- 
ever, it  is  of  very  limited  utility. 

Gauging  by  meters  is  the  most  satisfactory  and  complete  method 
of  all.  The  ordinary  current  meter  is  a  small  wheel  which  is  caused 
by  the  current  to  revolve  when  immersed.  It  may  be  of  propeller, 


REPORT  OF  CAPT.  C.  E.  BUTTON.  81 

windmill  or  anemometer  form.  The  axis  of  the  wheel  is  attached 
to  some  device  for  recording  automatically  the  number  of  revolu- 
tions. It  is  necessary  to  know  the  number  of  revolutions  in  a  unit 
of  time  which  corresponds  to  any  given  velocity ;  in  other  words, 
every  meter  must  be  "rated."  In  all  good  meters  the  number  of 
revolutions  bears  a  simple  ratio  to  the  velocity  of  the  stream  unless 
the  velocity  is  very  small.  At  very  low  velocities,  say  less  than  a 
foot  per  second,  even  the  best  known  form  of  meters  become  irregu- 
lar and  uncertain.  They  are  also  inferior  to  weirs  for  very  small  or 
very  shallow  streams.  In  gauging  with  a  meter,  the  cross-section 
of  the  stream  is  subdivided  into  portions  5  feet  wide  in  ordinary 
streams  and  10  feet  wide  in  very  broad  ones.  The  form  of  the  bottom 
and  areas  of  subdivisional  cross-sections  are  ascertained  by  sound- 
ings, and  the  mean  velocity  of  each  is  measured  with  the  meter. 
Each  subdivision  is  therefore  treated  as  a  separate  stream  and  the  flow 
of  the  entire  stream  is  the  sum  of  the  flows  of  its  constituent  parts. 

In  order  to  compute  the  flow  of  a  river  through  a  considerable 
period  of  time  during  which  its  volume  of  flow  varies,  it  is  necessary 
to  gauge  it  at  its  extreme  stages,  both  high  and  low,  and  also  at  in- 
termediate stages.  Gaugings  at  five  or  six  stages  will  be  sufficient 
for  a  river  between  well-defined  banks  which  it  does  not  overflow. 
A  very  close  approximation  can  then  be  made  to  the  flow  at  any  in- 
termediate stage  which  has  not  been  gauged.  It  is  further  necessary 
to  keep  a  continuous  record  of  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  stream  through- 
out the  entire  period  for  which  the  flow  is  to  be  estimated.  With 
this  record  and  with  the  gaugings  at  the  proper  stages,  we  shall  have 
all  the  data  necessary  for  computing  the  flow  through  the  entire 
period  while  the  record  is  maintained,  and  for  ascertaining  how  the 
flow  varies  from  day  to  day  and  from  month  to  month. 

(2)  Record  of  fluctuations. — There  are  two  methods  of  conducting 
these  observations.  The  first  of  the  methods  is  as  old  as  civiliz- 
ation. Herodotus  mentions  the  scale  by  which  the  ancient  Egypt- 
ians measured  and  recorded  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  Nile.  He  called 
it  the  nilometer.  I  have  not  thought  it  worth  while  to  change  so 
good  and  so  old  a  name  for  an  identical  device  for  an  identical  serv- 
ice. The  nilometer  scale  is  simply  a  strip  of  board  painted  white 
with  feet  and  inches  graduated  upon  it.  The  lower  end  is  placed 
in  the  stream  so  as  to  be  immersed  at  low  water.  It  may  be  vertical, 
or,  still  more  conveniently,  inclined;  in  which  latter  position  it  can 
be  more  easily  secured  with  firmness  to  the  bank  of  the  river.  One 
thing  more  is  quite  essential.  The  position  of  the  zero  mark  of  the 
scale  must  be  accurately  determined  with  reference  to  some  perma- 
nent point  or  bench-mark  in  the  close  vicinity,  so  that  the  scale  may 
be  relocated  when  disturbed  by  the  floods,  as  it  is  sure  to  be.  This 
scale  may  be  visited  twice  or  thrice  daily  by  an  observer  and  record 
made  of  the  height  of  the  water  on  the  scale. 

10  GEOL.,  PT.  2 6 


82  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

The  second  method  of  observation  is  by  means  of  an  instrument 
which  records  the  fluctuation  automatically.  A  chronograph  drum 
is  revolved  by  clockwork,  making  one  revolution  a  week.  A  sheet 
of  profile  paper  is  wrapped  around  the  drum.  A  pencil  or  glycerine 
pen  has  its  point  resting  on  the  paper.  The  frame  which  holds  the 
pencil  runs  on  a  slide  parallel  to  the  axis  of  the  drum.  The  pencil 
frame  has  a  fine  wire  attached  to  it,  which  goes  over  a  pulley  and 
down  into  a  well,  where  its  end  is  attached  to  a  float.  The  water  in 
the  well  is  connected  with  the  water  in  the  river  by  an  open  pipe, 
and  rises  and  falls  with  it.  Thus  the  motion  of  the  float  up  and 
down  is  transferred  to  the  pencil  which  traces  a  curve  on  the  paper 
correspond]  ngly . 

In  such  a  country  as  the  West  the  conditions  are  favorable  to  a 
very  high  rate  of  evaporation.  The  summer  heat  is  intense  and  the 
dryness  of  the  air  extreme.  In  estimating  the  efficiency  of  a  storage 
reservoir  the  loss  of  water  by  evaporation  is  always  important,  and 
in  some  cases  is  so  serious  a  matter  as  to  render  valueless  contem- 
plated reservoirs  which  otherwise  might  have  been  of  the  greatest 
value.  There  are  many  instances  in  which  the  question  whether  a 
site  be  advantageous  or  not  for  reservoir  purposes  depends  upon  the 
probable  loss  by  evaporation.  This  is  always  the  case  in  large  lakes 
whose  inflow  is  relatively  small,  like  Clear  Lake  and  Tahoe,  in  Cali- 
fornia, Utah  Lake,  Flathead  Lake,  and  many  others.  If  the  annual 
evaporation  exceeds  a  certain  limit,  and  one  which  is  not  very  im- 
probable, the  lake  is  of  no  value  as  a  reservoir.  If  it  falls  below 
that  limit,  every  inch  below  means  water  enough  to  irrigate  several 
thousand  acres  of  land.  Many  other  considerations  might  be 
brought  forward  to  illustrate  the  high  importance  of  the  subject. 
It  is  a  very  serious  matter  in  canals  and  rivers,  and  in  the  distribu- 
tive systems  by  which  water  is  carried  from  main  canals  to  the  lands. 
It  is,  moreover,  a  subject  on  which  there  is  great  uncertainty.  It  is 
not  easy  to  measure  the  rate  of  evaporation  from  water  surfaces  as 
they  exist  in  nature.  To  fill  a  vessel  with  water,  place  it  upon  the 
ground  or  upon  a  table  arid  measure  the  daily  loss,  is  far  from  meet- 
ing the  requirement,  for  the  evaporation  from  such  a  vessel  is  not 
comparable  with  that  from  a  lake  or  reservoir.  There  are  four  fac- 
tors which  enter  into  the  problem.  The  rate  of  evaporation  depends 
(1)  upon  the  temperature  of  the  water,  (2)  the  temperature  of  the 
air,  (3)  the  relative  humidity  of  the  air,  and  (4)  upon  the  wind.  If 
a  vessel  is  used  it  will  also  depend  upon  the  form  and  size  of  the 
vessel  and  the  depth  to  which  it  is  filled. 

In  order  to  approximate  the  conditions  of  observation  as  near  as 
possible  to  those  of  the  body  of  water  whose  rate  of  evaporation  is 
to  be  measured,  it  is  necessary  in  the  first  place  to  keep  its  tempera- 
ture as  nearly  even  with  it  as  possible.  No  better  way  has  ever  been 
suggested  than  to  float  a  thin  metallic  evaporating  pan  in  the  water 


REPORT  OF  CAPT.  C.  E.  BUTTON.  83 

and  keep  it  as  nearly  full  as  may  be  without  danger  of  water  slop- 
ping in  or  out.  The  difficulty,  however,  is  that  the  portion  of  the 
vessel's  rim  above  water  prevents  the  full  action  of  the  wind.  Ex- 
periments with  similar  vessels  unequally  filled  show  a  much  greater 
loss  from  the  fuller  vessel ;  the  conditions  being  otherwise  identical. 
Moreover,  on  large  bodies  of  water  there  are  waves  which  must  af- 
fect the  rate  of  evaporation,  while  within  the  vessel  waves  are  not 
considerable.  They  would  be  fatal  to  the  experiment  if  they  were. 

As  soon  as  notice  was  received  that  the  appropriation  was  avail- 
able measures  were  taken  to  secure  competent  men  for  the  hydro- 
graphic  work  and  to  determine  the  instruments  to  be  employed, 
methods  of  use,  and  forms  of  reports  to  be  made.  Two  or  three 
weeks  were  thus  occupied  and  early  in  November  Mr.  F.  H.  Newell 
and  Mr.  J.  B.  Williams  were  sent  to  New  Mexico  to  select  a  place 
for  a  camp  of  experiment  and  instruction.  They  decided  upon  Em- 
budo,  on  the  Rio  Grande,  about  40  miles  above  Santa  Fe,  and  as  soon 
as  preparations  were  made  for  a  reasonably  comfortable  winter  camp 
the  hydrographers  were  all  sent  there.  Mr.  F.  H.  Newell  was  placed 
in  charge  of  the  camp  and  proved  to  be  a  highly  efficient  officer.  As 
the  hydrologic  work  is  closely  interwoven  with  facts  dependent  upon 
meteorologic  data  it  was  deemed  necessary  that  the  men  should  'be- 
come proficient  in  observations  of  that  class.  A  large  amount  of 
such  data  would  require  treatment  and  investigation  in  this  office 
and  a  skilled  meteorologist  was  required  for  that  purpose.  Prof. 
George  E.  Curtis,  of  Washburn  College,  Topeka,  formerly  in  the 
United  States  Signal  Service,  was  selected  for  this  purpose  and 
for  the  time  being  was  sent  to  Embudo,  where  he  proved  himself  a 
most  intelligent  and  capable  instructor. 

The  object  of  this  camp  was  to  train  the  new  members  of  the  hy- 
drographic  division  for  active  and  independent  field  work  for  the 
succeeding  seasons.  The  principle  under  which  the  operations  at 
the  camp  were  conducted  was  to  attempt  all  those  investigations 
which  seemed  pertinent  to  the  future  work  of  the  Survey,  modifying 
from  time  to  time  the  methods  and  instruments  as  experience  de- 
veloped obstacles  or  objections. 

A  regular  routine  of  observations  was  begun  and  carried  on  by 
which  each  man  in  turn  became  familiar  with  the  details  of  each 
investigation  ;  but  beyond  this  the  fullest  possible  scope  was  left  for 
individual  development,  and  opportunity  for  original  work  in  such 
lines  of  research  or  study  as  each  should  choose. 

The  work  was  classified  into  : 

Measurement  of  river  flow. 

Measurement  of  rain-fall  and  general  meteorology. 

Measurement  of  evaporation. 

Measurement  of  matter  carried  in  suspension  by  water. 

Topographic  details  of  river  courses. 


84  IRRIGATION    SURVEY— FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

These  operations  were  continued  through  the  winter  with  the  fol- 
lowing results : 

MEASUREMENT  OF  RIVER  FLOW. 

A  small  rope  ferry  was  established  near  the  camp  across  a  suitable 
part  of  the  river  and  various  forms  of  meter  used  for  obtaining  the 
velocity.  Changes  and  improvements  in  the  meters  were  suggested 
while  experience  was  being  acquired. 

From  the  results  obtained  by  the  meters  the  velocities  in  various 
parts  of  the  river's  cross-section  were  determined  and  both  horizontal 
and  vertical  curves  of  velocity  were  plotted,  making  a  comparative 
study  under  various  conditions. 

While  meters  were  being  used  at  one  part  of  the  river,  other 
methods  of  stream  measurement  were  tried  at  suitable  points,  i.  e., 
by  surface  floats,  subsurface  floats,  and  vertical  rods.  Comparisons 
were  made  between  the  results  obtained  in  these  various  ways  as 
well  as  by  the  formula  for  river  flow  given  by  Kiitter. 

Records  of  the  river  height  were  kept  continuously  and  a  study 
made  of  the  relation  between  river  height  and  discharge.  These 
records  were  kept  both  by  observation  and  by  an  automatic  recorder 
or  "nilometer"  which  was  installed  and  tested  as  to  the  suitability 
for  this  work. 

After  sufficient  practice  was  had  at  stream  gauging  in  the  vicinity 
of  camp,  small  parties  were  sent  out  to  measure  the  river  and  tribu- 
taries both  above  and  below,  a  distance  of  50  miles  or  more,  each 
party  being  gone  for  several  days  or  a  week  at  a  time.  This  gave 
the  men  practice  not  only  in  the  actual  work  of  stream  measurement, 
but  also  in  outfitting  a  field  party  for  this  purpose  and  in  establish- 
ing gauging  stations  under  difficulties. 

METEOROLOGY. 

The  camp  was  fully  equipped  with  meteorological  instruments, 
including  barometers,  maximum  and  minimum  thermometers,  psy- 
chrometers,  rain  gauges,  thermograph,  and  sunshine  recorder.  These 
instruments  were  under  the  charge  of  Prof.  Curtis,  a  skilled  meteor- 
ologist. „ 

The  men  were  detailed  by  daily  or  weekly  turns  to  observe  and 
keep  the  records  of  these  various  instruments  and  received  the  nec- 
essary instruction  supplemented  by  general  lectures  by  Prof.  Curtis 
on  the  care  and  use  of  instruments,  so  that  each  should  be  able  to 
establish  observing  stations  and  direct  the  ordinary  observers. 

An  attempt  was  made  to  predict  the  probable  flow  of  the  river  for 
the  succeeding  summer,  by  obtaining  through  volunteer  observers 
the  amount  of  snow  in  the  mountains. 


REPORT    OF    CAFT.    C.    E.    BUTTON.  85 

EVAPORATION. 

The  measurement  of  the  amount  of  evaporation  from  water  sur- 
faces, as  in  rivers  and  lakes,  was  undertaken  by  means  of  floating 
metallic  pans.  These  were  kept  nearly  full  of  water  and  the  amount 
evaporated  noted  at  regular  intervals  by  a  small  inclined  brass  scale, 
suspended  in  the  center  of  the  pan. 

Various  substitutes  for  this  scale  were  tried  and  rejected  in  favor 
of  the  simpler  though  more  crude  device.  Comparisons  between 
pans  in  different  localities  and  under  various  conditions  were  begun 
and  some  valuable  experience  acquired,  especially  in  the  details  of 
locating  and  managing  the  pan. 

SUSPENDED  MATTER. 

Several  series  of  experiments  were  made  as  to  the  most  practicable 
method  of  attacking  this  subject,  the  limitations  set  being  that  the 
apparatus  should  be  simple,  strong  and  portable. 

The  method  followed  was  to  collect  a  sample  from  the  river  in  a 
small  vessel  of  known  capacity,  allow  the  earthy  matter  to  settle, 
decant  the  clear  water,  filter  the  sediment  dry,  and  weigh. 

The  two  matters  of  prime  importance  were:  First,  taking  the 
sample;  second,  drying  the  filtrate. 

First.  For  obtaining  the  sample  from  flowing  water  a  horizontal 
sediment  trap,  with  vertical  doors  at  each  end,  was  tried  and  com- 
parisons were  made  between  the  samples  taken  by  that  method  and 
by  means  of  bottles.  The  bottles  were  so  arranged  that  the  stoppers 
could  be  withdrawn  and  replaced  under  water. 

The  conclusion  reached  by  a  study  of  the  results  obtained  in  these 
comparisons  was  that  the  bottle  was  preferable  if  properly  used,  i.  e., 
the  stopper  being  drawn  and  immediately  replaced  when  the  bottle 
filled;  the  reason  being  that  with  no  transfer  of  the  sample  there  is 
no  change  of  loss,  and  the  bottles,  moreover,  can  be  packed  up  or 
put  away  until  the  sediment  comes  down  or  to  await  the  convenience 
of  the  operator. 

Second.  Drying  the  sample  to  a  constant  weight  was  a  difficult 
operation  in  camp.  Water-baths  were  tried  and  various  devices,  all 
being  discarded  in  favor  of  a  carefully  closed  sand-bath,  with  sep- 
arate compartments  for  filter  papers  in  various  stages  of  moisture 
and  heated  to  a  constant  temperature  by  a  small  oil  stove. 

Comparative  tests  were  begun  between  the  sedimentary  load  in 
different  parts  of  the  river's  cross-section  to  determine  if  possible  at 
what  portion  the  best  representative  samples  could  be  taken. 

TOPOGRAPHY  OF  RIVER  CHANNEL. 

This  included  a  general  study  of  the  whole  river  in  a  broad  way 
as  to  its  habits  and  peculiarities  and  also  a  more  particular  ex- 


86  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST   ANNUAL    REPORT. 

amination  of  the  places  at  which  river  gauging  should  be  under- 
taken. 

Practice  was  had  in  making  small  contoured  maps  and  cross- 
sections  of  river  bottom  and  sides,  and  comparisons  were  made  of 
the  changes  occurring  from  time  to  time,  throwing  much  light  on 
the  difficulties  encountered  in  calculating  stream  discharges. 

After  the  close  of  winter  the  camp  of  instruction  at  Embudo  was 
broken  up  and  the  hydrographers  were  assigned  as  follows  : 

Arkansas  River Robert  Robinson. 

Rio  Grande  in  New  Mexico Geo.  T.  Quinby. 

Rio  Grande  at  El  Paso H.  M.  Dyar. 

Gila  and  Salt  Rivers W.  A.  Farish. 

Sacramento  Valley W.  P.  Trowbridge,  jr. 

Carson  and  Truckee  Rivers Frank  Harrison. 

Utah  Territory F.  H.  Newell. 

Do T.  M.  Bannon. 

Snake  River  Basin J.  B.  Williams. 

Do L.  D.  Hopson. 

Upper  Missouri R.  S.  Tarr. 

SUMMARY   OP  WORK. 

The  following  summary  of  the  work  begun  and  carried  forward  in 
the  several  districts  is  submitted: 

ARKANSAS  RIVER. 

Mr.  Robertson  began  operations  for  measuring  the  flow  of  this 
stream.  A  good  station  was  found  at  Canyon  City  where  the  river 
emerges  from  the  mountains  and  was  speedily  established.  A  nilo- 
meter  scale  was  placed  and  an  observer  secured  to  record  twice  daily 
the  fluctuations  of  the  river.  Gauging  was  also  begun,  though  the 
annual  rise  had  not  taken  place.  It  was  thought  desirable  to  estab- 
lish similar  stations  lower  down  the  stream  at  intervals  of  30  or  40 
miles,  but  good  sections  for  observing  stations  were  not  easy  to  find. 
Soon  after  leaving  the  mountains  the  Arkansas  becomes  a  broad  and 
shallow  stream  with  a  loose  sandy  bottom  which  changes  much 
from  time  to  time  and  is  liable  to  great  changes  after  any  storm  or 
heavy  shower.  These  are  comparatively  frequent  in  the  summer 
months.  Three  stations,  however,  were  selected — one  just  above 
Pueblo,  another  near  La  Junta,  and  one  near  Lamar.  The  total 
length  of  river  between  Canyon  City  and  Lamar  is  about  165  miles. 

Stations  were  also  established  on  the  Huerfano  at  Hermosilla  and 
on  the  Purgatoire  at  Las  Animas.  These  are  two  tributaries  of  the 
plains  entering  the  Arkansas  from  the  south.  At  times  they  carry 
large  bodies  of  water,  though  at  ordinary  stages  they  are  small 
streams.  From  the  gaugings  and  nilometer  records  made  at  all 
these  stations  tables  of  daily  mean  discharge  have  been  constructed 
and  graphically  plotted. 


REPORT    OF    CAPT.    C.    E.    BUTTON.  87 

RIO  GRANDE  RIVER. 

The  observations  begun  at  Embudo  in  December  and  continued 
through  the  winter  by  the  camp  of  instruction  were  maintained 
after  the  camp  was  broken  up.  Another  station  was  established  011 
this  river  at  Del  Norte,  in  the  San  Luis  Valley,  which  gives  the 
amount  of  water  entering  at  that  point.  A  station  was  also  estab- 
lished on  the  Jemez  River,  which  enters  the  Rio  Grande  from  the 
west  near  Bernalillo.  At  El  Paso  a  first-class  station  was  established 
for  carrying  on  gauging,  nilometer  records,  the  measurement  of 
evaporation  and  of  the  sediment  brought  down  by  the  river.  Mr. 
Quinby  placed  about  forty  rain-gauges  with  carefully  selected  ob- 
servers with  a  view  of  obtaining  information  of  the  rain-fall  of  par- 
ticular localities  when  such  information  was  specially  needed. 

GILA  AND  SALT  RIVERS. 

These  rivers  offer  the  greatest  difficulties  to  hydrographic  study 
of  any  which  have  been  attempted  during  the  year.  While  the 
same  difficulties  are  present  to  some  extent  in  others  they  are  else- 
where less  formidable.  They  arise  from  the  peculiar  character  of 
the  stream  beds  which  afford  no  good  cross-sections  for  measure- 
ments, and  also  from  the  absence  of  facilities  for  carrying  out  any 
work  that  may  be  attempted.  The  latter  difficulty  is  due  to  the 
scarcity  of  settlers  and  the  great  distance  of  the  stations  from  sources 
of  supply.  It  is  not  easy  to  secure  men  who  are  willing  to  banish 
themselves  for  months  at  a  time  from  all  human  intercourse  and 
remain  alone  in  one  of  the  most  cruel  deserts  in  the  world  merely  to 
watch  the  rise  and  fall  of  a  river.  The  state  of  the  appropriation 
would  not  warrant  the  employment  of  relays  of  men  at  high  wages 
for  this  purpose.  Self-recording  instruments  are  not  practicable  at 
any  place  thus  far  found  to  be  available  for  gauging,  owing  to  the 
shallowness  of  the  streams  and  the  unstable  character  of  their  chan- 
nels. Mr.  Farish,  however,  with  rare  energy  and  devotion  has  done 
much  in  grappling  with  these  difficulties.  Three  stations  have  been 
established  by  him:  on  the  Gila  about  14  miles  above  Florence,  on 
the  Salt  a  little  above  the  junction  of  the  Verde,  and  on  the  Verde 
near  the  latter  locality.  Continuous  records  have  been  maintained 
and  repeated  gaugings  made.  About  forty  rain-gauges  have  been 
placed  in  various  localities  in  Arizona  whence  observations  are 
specially  desired  and  needed.  An  evaporation  station  has  been 
located  at  Tempe,  where  the  correlated  meteorologic  observations 
are  maintained. 

TRUCKEE  AND  CARSON   RIVERS. 

Mr.  Harrison  began  work  in  these  rivers  in  April  by  a  preliminary 
reconnoissance  for  the  purpose  of  selecting  stations  and  gaining  the 
knowledge  of  the  basins  necessary  for  attacking  the  problems.  Great 


88  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

difficulty  was  experienced  in  finding  suitable  cross-sections  owing  to 
the  torrential  character  of  the  streams  and  to  many  obstructions  pre- 
sented by  dams  and  other  obstacles  caused  by  the  use  of  these  rivers 
for  floating  logs,  lumber,  fire-wood  and  railroad  ties.  The  season 
also  was  unfavorable.  An  exceptional  storm  in  May  caused  the 
river  to  rise  prematurely  and  before  that  event  was  expected  and 
before  the  stations  had  been  fully  established.  With  the  exception 
of  this  storm  the  season  was  almost  unprecedentedly  dry  and  after 
it  was  over  the  river  quickly  fell,  so  that  in  some  of  them  the  record 
of  river  heights  became  unsatisfactory  because  there  was  so  little 
water  to  measure.  Stations,  however,  were  established  at  Essex, 
Nev.,  and  a  record  kept  by  which  the  daily  mean  discharge  has  been 
calculated  from  May  21.  The  flows  of  the  tributaries  were  also 
gauged  repeatedly  in  Prosser,  Juniper,  Grey,  Bronco  Martis,  Squaw, 
Coldstream,  and  Dog  Creeks,  and  on  the  Little  Truckee.  The  Carson 
River  was  examined  and  gauging  begun  in  June  near  Genoa,  and 
on  the  west  fork  of  the  Carson  below  Hope  Valley. 

HYDROGRAPHIC  WORK  IN  UTAH. 

In  April  Mr.  Newell  was  sent  to  Utah  to  make  certain  examina- 
tions of  Utah  Lake  with  reference  to  its  capacity  for  a  reservoir  site 
and  to  furnish  the  specifications  for  its  withdrawal  as  such  under 
the  law,  so  far  as  the  lands  covered  or  overflowed  by  it  or  the  lands 
bordering  upon  it  were  still  public  lands.  Having  completed  this 
work  it  became  evident  that  his  services  for  hydrographic  investiga- 
tion were  so  urgently  demanded  and  so  greatly  needed  that  it  seemed 
as  if  no  more  useful  station  could  be  selected.  He  was  therefore  in- 
structed to  begin  the  gauging  of  the  principal  streams  arid  to  carry 
on  systematic  hydrographic  work  in  those  portions  of  the  territory 
which  were  readily  accessible.  Beginning  with  the  Bear  River,  a 
station  was  located  at  the  lower  end  of  the  canyon  where  it  enters 
Malade  Valley,  and  one  has  since  been  placed  above  Cache  Valley  at 
Battle  Creek.  At  all  of  the  principal  streams  which  flow  from  the 
Wasatch  into  the  Salt  Lake  basin  observations  and  gaugings  have 
been  begun,  including  Provo  River,  American  and  Spanish  Forks. 
Stations  were  established  and  gauged  in  the  fertile  Sevier  Valley 
at  Joseph  City  and  at  Leamington.  An  evaporation  station  has  also 
been  well  maintained  at  Fort  Douglas.  Mr.  Newell  has  also  collected 
a  large  amount  of  statistical  information  concerning  the  water- 
supply,  canals  and  irrigation  of  Utah,  and  accomplished  the  segrega- 
tion of  the  irrigable  lands  in  Bear  River  valley. 

SNAKE  RIVER. 

Mr.  J.  B.  Williams  was  assigned  to  the  hydrographic  work  in  Idaho, 
with  Mr.  L.  D.  Hopson  as  an  assistant.  Prior  to  this  assignment  he 
had  been  sent  to  El  Paso  to  establish  the  important  station  there,  and 


REPORT    OF    CAW.    C.    E.    DtfTTOtf.  89 

did  not  reach  Idaho  until  the  middle  of  June.  For  gauging  the  Snake 
a  station  was  selected  at  Eagle  Rock,  on  the  Utah  and  Northern  Rail- 
road. The  river,  channel  is  here  510  feet  in  width.  A  wire  cable  was 
stretched,  across  it  and  a  large  flat-boat  constructed.  The  first  gaug- 
ing was  accomplished  July  19,  showing  a  flow  of  about  4,660  second 
feet,  the  river  being  then  past  the  flood-time  and  rapidly  approach- 
ing its  lowest  stage.  Numerous  gaugings  at  successively  lower  stages 
were  made  here.  Much  water  was  being  taken  out  above  Eagle  Rock 
and  Mr.  Williams  visited  all  the  canals  in  active  use,  estimating  by 
careful  measurement  the  water  diverted,  which  amounted  to  about 
1,100  second  feet.  He  also  gauged  the  forks  and  tributaries  of  the 
river,  six  in  number,  to  estimate  their  separate  flows.  Earlier  in  the 
season  Mr.  Hopson  visited  the  Wood  River,  establishing  two  gauging 
stations.  Continuous  observations  of  the  rise  and  fall  are  kept  on 
the  Snake  and  on  Wood  River. 

YELLOWSTONE  AND  UPPER  MISSOURI. 

Mr.  Williams,  after  establishing  his  stations  in  Idaho,  went  to 
Montana  to  take  the  place  of  Mr.  Tarr  who  had  resigned.  He  lo- 
cated two  stations  on  the  Yellowstone — one  at  Springdale  and  the 
other  at  Horr — one  on  the  Missouri  at  Canyon  Ferry,  one  on  the  Gal- 
latin  near  Bozeman,  one  on  the  Madison  20  miles  above  the  forks  of 
the  Missouri,  one  on  the  Jefferson  15  miles  above  the  forks,  one  on 
the  Sun  River  18  miles  above  Augusta,  one  on  the  Tdton  River  near 
Choteau,  and  one  on  the  Dearborn  near  the  town  of  the  same  name. 
Repeated  gaugings  were  made  at  most  of  these-  stations  and  observa- 
tions begun  on  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  rivers.  Evaporation  pans 
were  established  at  Springdale,  Hogan,  Great  Falls,  Bozeman  and 
Livingston.  The  year  was  most  exceptionally  dry  and  the  rivers 
correspondingly  low.  The  Yellowstone  in  August  carried  at  Horr 
1,553  second  feet  on  the  26th  of  August,  and  at  Springdale  2,111  sec- 
ond feet,  which  is  about  as  low  as  it  may  be  expected  to  fall  in  any 
season.  The  Missouri  at  Canyon  Ferry  carried  1,643  second  feet  on 
the  29th  of  August,  and  the  Madison  1,104  feet  on  the  17th. 

GENERAL  REMARKS   ON   HYDROGRAPHIC  WORK. 

The  observations  made  on  the  rise  and  fall  of  rivers  and  the  gaug- 
ings at  various  stages  have  not  all  been  reduced  to  final  results  as 
yet,  but  at  the  present  time  this  is  being  done  with  as  much  rapidity 
as  possible.  During  the  field  season  and  the  opening  of  the  work  the 
hydrographers  were  fully  occupied  in  establishing  their  stations  and 
getting  them  in  order.  As  these  stations  are  generally  far  apart 
much  time  was  required  to  "  make  the  rounds."  The  gauging  work 
is  tedious  and  laborious;  skilled  men  are  not  to  be  had,  and  almost 
every  detail  of  drudgery,  both  physical  and  mental,  falls  wholly  upon 


90  IRRIC4ATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

the  hydrographer.  All  things  considered,  the  result  of  the  first 
season's  work  is  quite  as  good  as  could  be  expected.  About  one-half 
the  rivers  of  the  arid  region  are  now  under  surveillance,  and  with 
the  experience  gained  the  other  half  can  be  put  in  the  same  way 
much  more  readily  and  expeditiously. 

Some  of  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  hydrographic  work  have  been 
proved  to  be  even  more  serious  than  was  anticipated  though  the  an- 
ticipations of  them  were  serious  enough.  By  far  the  worst  is  the 
difficulty  of  getting  observers  to  record  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  streams. 
In  nine  cases  out  of  ten  it  will  happen  that  the  cross-section  at  which 
it  is  practicable  to  make  good  records  is  situated  at  a  considerable 
distance — often  many  miles  from  any  human  habitation.  As  the 
cross-section  can  not  be  brought  to  the  observer  tke  observer  must 
go  to  the  cross-section.  He  must  go  twice  daily  on  foot  or  on  horse- 
back. He  can  be  paid  for  his  trouble  but  there  is  no  guaranty  that 
he  will  do  the  work.  It  is  a  simple  matter  to  write  down  on  the 
printed  form  the  same  river  height  to-day  that  was  read  yesterday 
without  taking  the  trouble  to  go  to  the  station  and  the  false  entry 
may  escape  detection.  It  is  gratifying,  however,  to  be  able  to  say 
that  very  few  cases  have  been  found  in  which  this  trick  has  been 
suspected,  and  the  skilled  hydrographer  soon  acquires  the  faculty  of 
detecting  it  when  the  falsified  reports  come  in.  Even  with  conscien- 
tious observers  the  routine  soon  becomes  tiresome  and  many  of  them 
discontinue  their  records  without  sufficient  notice  of  their  intentions. 
Several  records  which  would  have  been  good  if  continuous,  have 
been  interrupted  from  this  cause  at  critical  stages,  to  the  great  vex- 
ation of  this  office. 

This  want  of  a  reliable  corps  of  observers  and  the  difficulty  of  find- 
ing them  on  the  ground  brings  into  view  the  necessity  of  some  self- 
recording  device.  Such  an  instrument  has  been  in  use  in  Colorado 
for  several  years  and  the  results  obtained  are  understood  to  be  fair. 
One  of  the  troubles  is  that  the  instruments  are  liable  to  be  meddled 
with  by  the  curious  and  destroyed  or  stolen  by  the  malicious.  They 
are  also  liable  to  derangement  of  their  working,  especially  at  high 
water,  the  time  when  their  records  are  most  important.  If  some 
device  could  be  obtained  by  which  the  rise  and  fall  could  be  trans- 
mitted electrically  to  the  observer's  house  the  expense  of  maintenance 
would  be  minimized,  and  the  record  would  quickly  indicate  any  de- 
rangement of  the  apparatus,  which  might  be  remedied  in  an  hour  or 
two.  A  mere  mechanical  device  might  fail  to  work  an  hour  after  it 
was  left  and  the  failure  remain  unknown. for  a  week.  Serious  atten- 
tion will  be  given  to  the  problem  of  finding  some  electrical  device 
for  such  records,  as  well  as  to  the  improvement  of  self-recording 
mechanical  devices. 


REPORT    OF    CAPT.    C.    E.    BUTTON.  91 

MONTANA  DIVISION. 

It  was  decided  that  the  work  in  this  State  should  be  chiefly  of  a 
reconnoissance  character.  Although  irrigation  is  as  necessary  here 
as  in  other  States  the  progress  made  has  been  comparatively  small, 
for  settlement  upon  a  considerable  scale  is  very  recent.  The  water 
supply  of  Montana  was  known  to  be  large  and  the  northeastern  and 
eastern  part  was  known  to  possess  very  great  areas  of  arable  land. 
Some  of  the  rivers  traverse  the  plain  portion  of  the  State  in  rather 
deep  troughs  which  would  render  necessary  costly  works  to  divert 
the  waters ;  but  to  what  extent  this  might  be  the  case  was  not  fore- 
seen. The  waters  in  the  rivers  must  certainly  be  insufficient  in  their 
present  condition  to  irrigate  the  great  areas  of  good  bench  lands  and 
the  question  arose  as  to  the  part  which  storage  reservoirs  must  play 
in  the  highest  and  best  development  of  the  future.  On  these  sub- 
jects little  was  known.  Mr.  Wilson,  who  was  assigned  to  this  divi- 
sion, took  the  field  about  the  1st  of  June.  After  a  brief  reconnois- 
sance  he  was  of  the  opinion  that  among  the  most  interesting  problems 
in  the  State  would  be  the  utilization  of  the  waters  of  the  Yellowstone 
and  Sun  Rivers.  Both  of  them  after  leaving  the  mountains  run  in 
deep  troughs  through  the  plains  with  very  little  bottom  land,  so  that 
their  utility,  if  realized  at  all,  must  be  obtained  by  bringing  them 
upon  the  bench  lands.  Both  of  them  had  facilities  for  storage  and 
a  study  of  them  would  throw  more  light  upon  the  possibility  of  a 
high  development  than  that  of  any  other  stream.  He  was  author- 
ized to  make  a  detailed  examination  of  the  Sun  River  drainage;  not 
merely  for  ascertaining  the  capacity  of  the  river  itself,  but  also  as  a 
typical  example  of  a  stream  which  requires  for  its  development  a 
long  diversion  line.  A  field  party  was  therefore  outfitted  and  placed 
in  charge  of  Mr.  J.  B.  Rogers,  an  assistant,  who  at  the  close  of  the 
fiscal  year  was  just  beginning  the  survey  of  the  Sun  River  basin. 
Mr.  Wilson  proposed  to  occupy  the  greater  part  of  the  summer  in 
continuing  his  reconnoissance,  in  searching  for  reservoir  sites  and 
for  data  upon  which  to  segregate  irrigable  lands.  At  the  time  of 
writing  this  report  the  field  season  has  closed  and  the  retained  men 
are  engaged  in  the  office  work,  preparing  their  results  for  record  and 
action.  These  results  are  very  satisfactory,  but  as  they  are  not  as 
yet  sufficiently  worked  out  in  the  office  for  formal  presentation  in 
detail,  nothing  beyond  a  brief  summary  will  here  be  given. 

A  preliminary  survey  of  the  Sun  River  basin  has  been  completed, 
resulting  in  the  definite  location  of  nine  reservoir  sites  along  the 
course  of  the  river,  whose  united  capacity  will  be  about  143,000  acre 
feet.  The  dam  sites  of  these  reservoirs  have  been  surveyed  in  suffi- 
cient detail  to  enable  an  estimate  to  be  made  of  the  quantity  of  mate- 
rial required  to  construct  them  and  to  assign  the  proportions  of  the 
dams  whenever  the  materials  and  methods  of  construction  are  deter- 


92  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

mined.  The  flow  of  the  river  during  the  summer  season  has  .been 
gauged.  The  last  summer  was  one  of  very  low  water  throughout 
almost  the  entire  West  and  may  be  taken  as  representing  the  mini- 
mum flow  for  any  year.  The  gaugings  showed  a  mean  flow  of  the 
Sun  River  during  the  months  of  July,  August,  and  September  of 
about  200  second  feet.  The  winter  and  spring  flow  of  the  river  is 
believed  to  be  more  than  sufficient  to  fill  all  the  reservoirs. 

A  line  of  level  and  traverse  has  been  carefully  run  along  the 
bluff  on  the  north  side  of  the  river  from  the  lower  dam  site  a  dis- 
tance of  80  miles,  the  diversion  line  being  about  41  miles  long,  and 
emerges  upon  the  bench  lands  above  where  it  can  be  made  to 
command  more  than  300,000  acres  of  the  best  agricultural  land. 
This  area  is  probably  much  greater  than  the  entire  summer  flow 
and  storage  can  irrigate.  Approximate  estimates  of  costs  can  be 
made  from  this  survey.  Undoubtedly  the  cost  would  be  consider- 
able and  in  the  present  condition  of  settlement  and  of  land  value  it 
is  doubtful  if  it  would  be  warranted.  But  with  time  and  increasing 
population  water  rapidly  rises  in  value,  and  in  the  new  West  the 
cost  of  construction  greatly  diminishes,  and  in  the  course  of  a  very 
few  years  all  such  doubts  may  resolve  themselves  into  an  affirmative 
answer. 

Mr.  Wilson  also  examined  in  a  preliminary  way  the  practicability 
of  diverting  the  Missouri  River  in  the  Missouri  Valley  which  has  a 
large  amount  of  good  agricultural  land.  Near  Toston,  about  40  miles 
this  side  of  Helena  on  the  Northern  Pacific  road,  a  very  short  diver- 
sion line  would  carry  the  waters  of  this  river  to  the  lands,  and  no 
serious  difficulties  presented  themselves.  A  survey  of  this  locality 
seems  desirable. 

Further  up  the  stream,  at  the  foot  of  Gallatin  Valley,  the  Missouri 
breaks  into  three  forks — the  Gallatin  on  the  east,  the  Madison  in  the 
middle,  and  the  Jefferson  on  the  west.  The  Gallatin  and  its  branches 
have  for  some  years  been  used  for  irrigation,  and  the  important  town 
of  Bozeman  has  owed  its  prosperity  in  a  large  measure  to  the  result- 
ing agriculture.  It  is,  however,  a  rather  small  stream  at  low  stages 
and  the  use  made  of  it  is  attributable  to  the  ease  with  which  it  could 
be  diverted.  The  Madison  is  a  very  much  larger  stream,  carrying  at 
low  stages  over  1,100  cubic  feet  per  second,  while  the  Jefferson  at 
low  water  has  only  about  200  feet.  Along  the  courses  of  these  rivers 
there  is  a  considerable  amount  of  agricultural  land,  and  near  their 
sources  Mr.  Wilson  found  many  basins  which  seemed  capable  of 
being  converted  into  reservoirs  The  forks  of  the  Missouri  offer  a 
problem  worthy  of  investigation.  It  would  appear,  however,  even 
at  the  present  stage  of  the  inquiry,  that  whatever  uses  are  made  of 
the  upper  Missouri  must  be  accomplished  by  diversions  above  Great 
Palls.  Here  the  river  cascades  at  once  into  a  deep  gorge  with  abrupt 
rocky  walls  from  which  it  could  not  be  taken  by  canals,  and  the  trough 


REPORT  OF  CAPT.  C.  E.  BUTTON.  93 

of  the  river  maintains  that  character  for  an  indefinite  distance  below. 
In  the  Missouri  Valley  above  Great  Falls  the  river  carries  at  the 
lowest  stages  1,600  to  1,800  feet  of  water,  an  amount  which  is  not 
sufficient  to  serve  all  the  good  lands  which  could  be  brought  under 
canals.  But  this  supply  can  be  greatly  augmented  by  storage. 

Careful  attention  was  given  by  Mr.  Wilson  to  the  subject  of  water 
storage.  The  facilities  for  it  were  found  to  be  considerable.  The 
most  extensive  basins  he  found  were  in  the  Yellowstone  Park,  the 
largest  of  all  being  the  lake  itself.  Yellowstone  Lake  in  fact  is  the 
most  effective  reservoir  site  of  which  we  have  any  knowledge  at 
present.  It  is  also  one  of  cheap  construction.  Its  probable  delivery 
will  exceed  considerably  a  million  acre-feet  of  water,  sufficing  to  irri- 
gate more  than  a  thousand  square  miles  of  land.  How  to  utilize 
such  a  vast  body  of  water  would  be  one  of  the  noblest  of  engineer- 
ing problems.  Still  other  basins  of  large  capacity,  though  collec- 
tively but  a  moderate  fraction  of  that  of  the  lake,  occur  in  the  Yel- 
lowstone drainage — most  of  them  in  the  Park.  In  the  Madison 
drainage  also  numerous  large  reservoirs  were  found  whose  collection 
capacity  will  probably  exceed  800,000  acre-feet,  and  in  the  Jefferson 
Valley  storage  capacity  of  quite  equal  and  perhaps  somewhat  greater 
amount  was  found.  Mr.  Wilson  has  reported  for  withdrawal  about 
sixty  reservoir  sites  of  a  thousand  acre  feet  capacity  or  more,  of 
which  twenty-seven  have  each  a  probable  capacity  exceeding  9,000 
acre-feet,  eleven  exceeding  45,000  acre-feet,  seven  exceeding  90,000 
acre-feet,  and  four  exceeding  200, 000  acre-feet.  The  first  rough  esti- 
mate of  capacity  of  all  those  thus  far  reconnoitered  is  not  far  from 
4,000.000  acre-feet.  Doubtless  many  others  remain  to  be  discovered 
as  Mr.  Wilson's  examination  covered  less  than  one-third  of  the  State. 

ARKANSAS  DIVISION. 

Mr.  Bodfish,  who  was  assigned  to  the  engineering  survey  of  this 
river  basin,  did  not  take  the  field  until  about  the  middle  of  June, 
and  his  work  commenced  about  the  close  of  the  fiscal  year.  The 
reasons  for  selecting  this  basin  for  special  surveys  were  as  follows: 

While  irrigation  has  made  great  progress  in  the  valley  of  the 
South  Platte  it  has  been  comparatively  backward  in  the  Arkansas 
Valley,  which  seems  to  offer  as  much  advantage.  The  river,  emerg- 
ing from  the  mountains  at  Canyon  City,  flows  due  eastward  out  into 
the  great  plains.  These  plains  are  of  such  vast  extent  and  so  pro- 
ductive when  watered,  and  their  situation  is  so  favorable  in  all 
respects,  that  it  seemed  as  if  some  special  effort  should  be  made  to 
devise  a  plan  for  irrigating  a  portion  of  them.  The  Arkansas  is  a 
decidedly  spasmodic  river  near  the  mountains,  carrying  a  large  body 
of  water  in  flood  time,  and  shrinking  to  a  small  stream  of  about  250 
to  500  second  feet  during  the  summer  and  autumn.  If  any  consider- 
able portion  of  its  floods  could  be  stored  up,  and  let  out  upon  the 


94  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

plains  during  the  irrigating  season,  a  large  body  of  extremely  valu- 
able land  could  be  redeemed.  The  river,  however,  runs  for  a  long 
distance  in  a  depressed  trough,  and  as  a  general  rule,  would  require 
a  long  diversion  line.  In  view  of  the  great  value  of  irrigated  land 
in  this  part  of  Colorado,  this  would  be  no  obstacle  if  the  end  in  view 
were  well  secured.  It  was  believed  that  there  were  several  local- 
ities at  which  the  diversion  could  be  made  with  advantage,  provided 
the  amount  of  available  water  was  sufficient  to  justify  the  undertak- 
ing. The  water  supply,  in  a  great  measure,  turned  upon  the  possi- 
bilities of  storage. 

It  was  currently  believed  that  these  possibilities  were  large.  The 
localities  in  which  it  was  supposed  that  reservoir  sites  could  be  found, 
and  where  many  were  asserted  to  occur,  may  be  classified  into  three 
groups :  First,  those  in  the  high  mountain  valleys  and  parks  near  the 
sources  of  the  streams;  second,  those  in  the  foot-hills,  or  "  hog-backs" 
as  they  are  termed,  and  third,  those  out  upon  the  great  plains. 

In  the  mountainous  portions  of  Colorado  lakes  occasionally  occur, 
and  when  their  outlets  have  a  topography  suitable  for  dam  construc- 
tion they  may  make  good  reservoirs,  and  a  few  of  these  are  well 
known  in  the  upper  tributaries  of  the  Arkansas.  In  many  of  these 
valleys  lakes  with  flat  bottoms  of  grassy  or  swampy  land  are  also 
found,  and  these  may  also  be  turned  into  reservoirs  whenever  it  is 
practicable  to  dam  their  outlets.  These  meadows,  as  they  are  termed, 
sometimes  occur  in  the  mountains.  Being  at  a  high  altitude  and  near 
the  melting  snows,  they  are  supplied  with  little  loss,  and  the  evapo- 
ration from  the  surface  of  such  a  reservoir  is  comparatively  small  by 
reason  of  the  lower  temperature  and  greater  humidity  of  the  situation. 

It  was  further  believed  that  in  the  foot-hills  numerous  sites  might 
be  found  into  which  the  water  might  be  diverted  from  the  river  dur- 
ing the  spring  floods  and  taken  out  during  the  irrigating  season.  The 
peculiar  construction  of  the  hog-backs  along  the  eastern  front  of  the 
Rockies  in  Colorado  might  seem,  at  first,  favorable  to  the  occurrence 
of  long,  narrow  valleys  parallel  to  the  trend  of  the  range. 

Much  greater  hope,  however,  was  entertained  of  the  possibility  of 
storing  large  bodies  of  water  in  natural  depressions  in  the  plains. 
A  considerable  number  of  these  were  known  to  exist,  some  of  them 
being  of  great  magnitude  and  capable  of  holding  large  bodies  of 
water.  The  engineering  difficulties  would  be  the  length  of  canals 
required  to  take  the  floods  of  the  river  and  carry  them  to  these 
places,  and  to  take  the  water  out  after  it  was  once  gotten  in.  Long 
lines  of  canal,  however,  when  not  prohibited  by  the  expense,  are 
objectionable  by  reason  of  the  loss  of  water  by  evaporation  and 
leakage. 

The  problem  laid  out  for  Mr.  Bodfish  in  this  valley  was  to  ascer- 
tain, first,  the  possibilities  of  storage;  second,  the  character  of  the 
work  which  would  be  required  to  divert  the  waters  of  the  river  either 


REPORT  OF  CAPT.  C.  E.  BUTTON.  95 

for  direct  irrigation  or  for  any  possible  reservoirs  on  the  plains. 
There  was  still  another  question  which  seemed  worthy  of  investiga- 
tion. The  ground  in  the  valleys  of  the  South  Platte  and  in  the  Ar- 
kansas is  favorable  to  the  return  of  water  to  the  stream  bed  by  under- 
ground nitration.  The  percentage  of  irrigating  water  used  in  the 
South  Platte  which  finds  its  way  back  to  the  river  bed  is  known  to  be 
quite  large;  indeed,  experiments  recently  made  on  or  near  the  Cache 
la  Poudre  River  indicate  that  it  is  even  larger  than  was  supposed. 
The  ground  in  the  Arkansas  Valley  near  the  mountains  is  apparently 
identical  in  this  respect,  and  thus  the  possibility  of  using  water  over 
again  becomes  a  question  of  importance.  It  is  especially  so  in  these 
two  valleys  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  lands  in  western  Kansas  and 
Nebraska  require  irrigation  as  much  as  those  of  Colorado,  and  the 
question  is  likely  to  arise  at  any  time  as  to  the  respective  demands 
of  the  two  States  upon  the  resources  of  the  same  rivers. 

While  this  report  is  in  preparation,  Mr.  Bodfish's  parties  are  still 
in  the  field.  Until  the  surveys  are  worked  out  in  the  office  it  is  im- 
practicable to  give  the  precise  results.  Some  general  statements, 
subject  to  qualification  when  the  office  work  shall  have  been  com- 
pleted, may  be  mentioned.  A  very  thorough  examination  has  been 
made  in  the  region  about  the  Tennessee  Fork  of  the  Arkansas.  One 
large  reservoir  is  the  Twin  Lakes,  which  are  admirably  adapted  to 
the  purpose.  At  a  very  moderate  expense  a  dam  can  be  constructed 
at  the  outlet  which  will  create  a  holding  capacity  of  75,000  acre-feet. 
There  is  reason  to  believe,  however,  that  this  capacity  is  beyond  the 
water  supply  to  fill  it.  The  entire  water-shed  which  drains  into  the 
Twin  Lakes  is  about  103  square  miles,  and  it  would  be  unsafe  to  esti- 
mate the  run  off  at  more  than  one  foot  over  the  entire  area.  Even 
this  amount  can  not  be  relied  upon  with  certainty,  though  it  is 
slightly  exceeded  as  shown  by  careful  measurement  in  the  drainage 
basin  of  the  Cache  la  Poudre.  On  the  whole  it  may  be  hoped  that 
about  60,000  acre-feet  of  water  will  be  available  for  catchment  in 
the  Twin  Lakes.  A  second  reservoir  has  been  discovered  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Twin  Lakes  in  what  is  termed  Haydeii  Valley 
or  Park.  Owing  to  the  slope  of  its  bottom  it  will  require  a  high 
dam,  say  110  feet,  in  order  to  fully  develop  its  holding  capacity.  Two 
railroads  which  traverse  it  lengthwise  will  have  to  be  relocated  at 
considerable  expense.  Its  holding  capacity  with  a  110-foot  dam 
would  be  about  60,000  acre-feet  and  its  water-shed  is  somewhat  larger 
than  that  of  Twin  Lakes.  This  would  be  a  much  more  expen- 
sive work,  not  only  by  reason  of  the  larger  dam;  but  by  the  cost 
of  removing  the  railroads.  Still,  at  no  very  distant  day  the  value 
of  water  will  be  great  enough  to  justify  it.  Several  small  reservoirs 
on  the  Tennessee  Fork  have  also  been  discovered,  but  they  will  not 
add  largely  to  the  total  catchment.  Surveys  have  been  made  of 
these  reservoirs  to  determine  their  capacities  and  also  of  the  dam 


96  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

sites  with  sufficient  details  to  enable  estimates  to  be  made  of  costs  of 
construction  and  relocation  of  railroads. 

All  of  the  northern  ^orks  of  tfc^  Arkansas  River  have  been  care- 
fully examined  for  reservoir  sites,  both  in  the  mountains  and  in  the 
foot-hills  or  hog-backs.  With  the  foregoing  exceptions  nothing  more 
than  some  doubtful  cases  have  been  found.  The  southern  forks 
remain  to  be  examined,  but  no  great  hopes  are  entertained  of  better 
success  in  those  quarters,  unless  possibly  in  the  Wet  Mountain  Val- 
ley. 

Search  has  also  been  made  on  the  plains  for  available  sites,  but 
none  have  so  far  been  found  which  promise  any  satisfactory  results. 
There  are  several  large  basins,  but  in  every  case  so  far  examined 
some  fatal  objection  arises.  It  would  be  possible  to  fill  some  (at 
least  partially)  by  means  of  long  diversion  lines,  but  there  is  no 
practical  way  of  getting  the  water  out  again.  Others  are  dispropor- 
tionately large  in  comparison  with  the  quantity  of  water  which  could 
be  gotten  into  them.  The  water  sheet  so  formed  would  be  so  thin 
that  the  great  bulk  of  it  would  evaporate.  Still  others  are  too  far 
away  from  any  source  of  supply.  The  search,  however,  is  not  yet 
complete  and  has  hitherto  been  made  chiefly  north  of  the  Arkansas 
River.  The  topography  of  the  south  side  is  somewhat  different  and 
may  yield  more  encouragement. 

The  results,  then,  so  far  obtained  in  respect  to  storage  here  are 
not  large.  The  reservoirs  on  the  Tennessee  are  the  only  definite 
additions  to  the  available  water  supply,  and  they  are  of  importance. 
Otherwise  the  prospects  are  not,  at  present,  very  extensive,  but  until 
an  examination  of  the  entire  basin  has  been  completed  in  a  thorough 
and  careful  manner  it  would  be  premature  to  venture  any  confident 
or  final  opinion.  The  addition  which  may  be  made  to  the  available 
supply  of  the  Arkansas  by  the  few  reservoirs  already  found  would 
be  sufficient  to  double  and  perhaps  to  nearly  treble  it  at  the  time 
when  the  water  is  most  needed.  The  irrigation  season  in  this  part 
of  Colorado  lasts,  roughly  speaking,  about  150  days  or  nearly  five 
months.  During  this  season  the  flood  time  occurs  in  which  the  river 
carries  more  water  than  is  likely  to  be  used.  In  the  flood  time  the 
reservoirs  would  naturally  be  shut.  It  may  be  estimated  that  they 
would  be  called  upon  to  deliver  water  for  about  110  days  in  varying 
quantities,  sufficient  to  make  good  the  deficiency  of  the  river.  This 
deficiency  varies,  of  course,  within  wide  limits.  We  may  estimate 
that  the  reservoirs  would  be  called  on  to  deliver  an  amount  equal  to 
the  average  deficiency  of  about  82  days.  Allowing  120,000  acre  feet 
as  the  net  storage,  the  mean  delivery  for  82  days  would  be  1,460  acre 
feet  per  day.  This  is  equivalent  to  a  flow  of  725  cubic  feet  per  sec- 
ond. The  mean  flow  of  the  Arkansas  outside  of  the  flood  season 
and  during  the  remainder  of  the  irrigating  season  may  be  taken  in 
an  average  year  as  about  425  feet  per  second.  With  the  reservoirs 


REPORT  OF  CAPT.  0.  E.  DUTTON.  97 

it  would  be  necessary  to  deduct  about  100  second  feet  to  avoid  reck, 
oning  twice  over  the  amount  captured  in  the  reservoirs  during  the 
summer  flow.  Thus  about  1,050  cubic  feet  per  second  might  be 
maintained  throughout  the  irrigating  season  by  the  use  of  these 
reservoirs  as  against  425  feet  per  second  mean  flow  during  the  low 
stages  with  the  river  in  its  present  condition.  The  reservoirs  fur- 
thermore would  give  the  incomparable  advantage  of  enabling  the 
distribution  of  water  throughout  the  irrigating  season  according  to 
the  varying  demand  for  it. 

Mr.  Bodfish  has  also  made  surveys  of  diversion  lines  along  the 
Arkansas  below  Garden  City,  but  they  have  not  yet  been  worked 
out  in  this  office. 

The  work  in  the  Arkansas  basin  has  been  extensive  and  varied. 
The  water  supply  furnished  by  the  Arkansas  River  after  the  flood 
season  is  over  is  comparatively  small.  During  the  past  season  it 
ranged  from  250  to  350  cubic  feet  per  second,  augmented  occasionally 
by  spasmodic  floods.  The  amount  of  land  in  the  Arkansas  basin 
which  could  be  reached  by  canals  and  irrigated  with  good  effect  if 
water  were  abundant  is,  we  may  say,  indefinitely  great.  It  was 
hoped  that  means  might  be  found  for  greatly  augmenting  its  supply 
by  reason  of  the  very  large  and  high  mountain  regions  in  which  its 
various  tributaries  take  their  rise.  A  large  amount  of  reconnais- 
sance work  was  performed  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  what 
promising  sites  for  reservoirs  might  exist,  and  if  any  very  promising 
ones  were  found  it  was  determined  to  make  surveys  of  them.  A 
systematic  search  was  instituted 'in  all  small  creeks  and  tributaries 
which  feed  the  Arkansas  River  above  Canyon  City  and  in  its  vicinity, 
each  valley  and  branch  being  visited  in  turn  by  a  competent  engineer. 
Some  success  attended  this  investigation  and  we  are  in  a  position  to 
say  that  the  amount  of  water  furnished  by  this  river  during  the  dry 
season  can  be  very  considerably  increased  by  storage  reservoirs, 
which  can  be  constructed  at  a  remunerative  cost.  But  on  the  other 
hand  the  amount  of  storage  capacity  thus  far  found  is  considerably 
less  than  was  hoped,  and  not  at  all  commensurate  with  the  wants  of 
the  immense  areas  of  good,  smooth,  fertile  lands  spreading  out  upon 
the  great  plains  immediately  east  of  the  front  range  of  the  Rockies. 

The  most  important  reservoir  sites  thus  far  discovered  are  upon 
the  Tennessee  Fork  of  the  Arkansas  above  Leadville,  of  which  the 
largest  and  best  is  at  Twin  Lakes.  A  careful  survey  has  been  made 
of  this  basin  and  of  its  dam  site.  A  dam  at  no  point  exceeding  35 
feet  in  height,  with  some  excavation  back  of  it  to  enlarge  and  deepen 
the  outlet,  will  give  a  storage  of  about  100,000  acre-feet.  These 
lakes  have  a  water-shed  whose  area  is  103  square  miles,  and  it  is  esti- 
mated that  this  water-shed  will  have  a  run  of  probably  not  much 
exceeding  fifty  or  sixty  thousand  acre-feet  in  an  average  season,  but 
the  available  catchment  can  be  very  considerably  increased  by  a 
10  GEOL.  ,  PT.  2 7 


98  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

supplementary  work,  which  will  be  spoken  of  presently.  A  little 
further  up  the  Tennessee  Fork  is  a  second  basin  which  could  be 
converted  into  a  reservoir  of  large  capacity,  but  the  expense  of  doing 
so  would  be  very  large,  probably  $1,000,000  or  thereabout.  It  would 
require  a  dam  120  feet  in  height  and  five  or  six  hundred  feet  long 
on  top.  It  would,  moreover,  require  the  relocation  of  two  railroads, 
the  Colorado  Midland  and  the  Denver  and  Rio  Grrande,  which  run 
through  the  floor  of  the  basin.  And  this  relocation  would  be  expen- 
sive and  more  or  less  detrimental  to  the  railways.  It  has,  however, 
been  found  practicable  to  tap  the  Tennessee  Fork  near  the  upper  end 
of  this  reservoir,  and  by  means  of  a  canal  carry  its  water  around  a 
mountain  spur  which  separates  the  basin  from  that  of  Twin  Lakes, 
and  thus  divert  its  waters  into  the  Twin  Lakes  basin.  The  length  of 
this  canal  would  have  to  be  about  12  miles  and  would  involve  some 
heavy  work.  By  adding  this  water  supply  to  that  which  is  furnished 
by  the  water-shed  of  Twin  Lakes  it  is  believed  that  fully  100,000  acre- 
feet  of  water  could  be  secured  at  a  remunerative  cost.  A  few  other 
small  basins  have  been  discovered  and  surveyed  in  the  Tennessee 
Park  near  Leadville  and  vicinity,  and  their  united  storage  would 
probably  be  40,000  acre-feet.  The  office  work  upon  these  reservoirs 
is  not  yet  complete,  but  when  it  is  completed  we  shall  be  in  a  position 
to  state  in  full,  detailed  projects  for  storing  water  and  all  essential 
information  concerning  the  nature  of  the  dam  sites,  and  to  furnish 
the  necessary  data  for  approximate  estimates  of  cost  of  construction. 

RIO   GRANDE   DIVISION. 

The  Rio  Grande  is  usually  esteemed  one  of  the  larger  rivers  in 
the  West.  In  flood  time  it  usually  carries  a  large  volume  of  water, 
but  at  other  stages  the  flow  is  small.  During  the  last  summer  the 
.  river  below  Albuquerque  was  dry  for  nearly  two  months.  This  is 
no  doubt  due  in  part  to  the  diversion  of  all  the  water  in  its  upper 
portion  into  the  San  Luis  Valley,  the  water  supplied  by  lower  afflu- 
ents being  insufficient  to  carry  the  stream  much  below  Albuquerque. 
Before  irrigation  was  inaugurated  in  the  San  Luis  Valley  the  river 
always  shrunk  to  a  small  volume  in  summer  at  El  Paso,  and  in  some 
years  was  dry  at  that  place  for  a  few  weeks.  There  is,  however,  an 
unmistakable  effect  upon  the  lower  courses  by  the  diversion  of  the 
higher  ones. 

The  greater  portion  of  the  course  of  this  river  in  New  Mexico  lies 
between  rocky  canyons.  Its  trough  deepens  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
San  Luis  Valley,  and  does  not  widen  to  any  important  extent  till  it 
opens  in  the  Espanola  Valley,  about  20  miles  north  of  Santa  Fe*. 
This  valley  is  about  20  miles  in  length  and  4  or  5  in  width.  It  is 
well  situated  for  irrigation,  and  has  long  been  cultivated  by  the 
Mexican  residents  and  Pueblo  Indians  in  their  usual  fashion.  Some 
of  the  tributaries,  notably  the  Taos,  and  especially  the  Chama,  have 


REPORT  OF  CAPT.  C.  E.  BUTTON.  99 

some  agriculture,  and  might  have  much  more.  At  the  foot  of  the 
Espanola  Valley  the  river  again  enters  the  canyon  and  emerges  near 
Bernalillo.  Here  the  valley  widens  out  and  contains  for  a  distance 
of  nearly  a  hundred  miles  a  border  of  land,  which  might  be  irri- 
gated if  water  could  be  brought  upon  it.  At  San  Marcial  the  river 
once  more  enters  a  long  rocky  gorge  leading  along  the  western  bor- 
ders of  the  Jornado  del  Muerto.  At  Fort  Selden  it  enters  the  Me- 
silla  Valley,  which  is  nearly  60  miles  in  length  and  of  considerable 
width.  At  the  southern  end  of  this  valley  is  El  Paso,  where  the 
river  breaks  through  a  low  rocky  pass  3  miles  in  length,  and  enters 
a  wide  valley,  which  extends  as  far  as  Fort  Hancock,  60  miles  below 
El  Paso. 

From  Bernalillo  to  Fort  Hancock  there  is  but  little  agriculture, 
and  such  as  exists  is  practiced  mostly  by  the  Mexican  residents  and 
is  of  a  primitive  kind.  In  fact,  no  other  is  practicable  without  ex- 
tensive and  costly  works  to  control  the  water.  All  this  portion  of 
the  Rio  Grande  is  in  the  highest  degree  spasmodic,  with  immense 
floods  during  a  few  weeks  of  the  year  and  a  small  stream  during  the 
remainder  of  it.  Under  such  circumstances  the  extent  of  possible 
agriculture  is  measured  by  the  smaller — almost  by  the  smallest  flow. 
The  possibility  of  utilizing  a  goodly  portion  of  the  flood  waters  is  a 
problem  worthy  of  the  most  earnest  consideration.  No  climate  could 
be  more  advantageous  for  profitable  agriculture.  To  arrest  so  large 
a  body  of  water  as  the  Rio  Grande  in  flood  would  require  very  large 
reservoirs,  and  to  utilize  them  would  also  require  a  very  favorable 
location  of  their  basins.  The  belief  has  been  held  for  some  years  by 
residents  of  El  Paso  that  both  of  these  conditions  are  fulfilled  at  the 
lower  part  of  the  Mesilla  Valley.  At  the  pass  near  El  Paso,  where 
the  river  traverses  a  narrow  gorge,  it  seems  as  if  it  might  be  possible 
to  build,  at  moderate  cost,  a  reservoir  which  would  hold  back  the 
whole  of  the  flood  waters  of  the  river.  Immediately  below  the  pass 
are  the  wide  bottom  lands,  where  300,000  acres  could  be  watered  and 
where  the  climate  is  sub-tropical.  A  matter  of  special  importance 
attaches  to  this  project,  for  it  involves  international  interests.  Be- 
ginning at  El  Paso  the  Rio  Grande  is  the  Mexican  boundary,  and  the 
land  which  such  a  reservoir  would  command  is  about  half  in  Texas 
and  half  in  Mexico.  For  more  than  a  century  the  Mexicans  have 
used  the  water  for  irrigation,  and  their  interests  are  as  deeply  con- 
cerned as  our  own.  The  impoverishment  of  the  river  by  the  exten- 
sive diversions  in  Colorado  have  wrought  great  injury  to  the  Mexican 
farms,  and  if  priority  of  right  can  be  claimed  as  between  citizens  of 
adjoining  countries  the  priority  is  certainly  vested  in  the  citizens  of 
Mexico.  Although  the  value  of  property  involved  is  of  no  great 
amount,  the  principle  involved  is  a  highly  important  one.  Further- 
more, serious  questions  have  arisen,  growing  out  of  the  shifting  of 
the  bed  of  the  river,  whose  channel  is  made  by  treaty  the  boundary 


100  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNTAL    REPORT. 

of  the  two  nations,  and  these  have  been  the  subject  of  much  com- 
plaint by  the  Government  and  people  of  Texas  and  of  diplomatic 
discussion  with  the  Government  of  Mexico.  It  is  apparent  that  if 
the  floods  of  the  Rio  Grande  were,  caught  above  the  pass  these  shift- 
ings  of  the  channel  would  be  wholly  prevented,  for  the  changes  are  in- 
cident to  the  uncontrolled  action  of  the  floods,  which  would  be  wholly 
stopped  unless  they  were  so  copious  as  to  more  than  fill  the  reservoir, 
and  even  then  they  would  be  so  mitigated  as  to  be  harmless. 

The  project  of  a  dam  at  El  Paso  has  for  some  years  been  a  subject 
of  interest  to  Major  Anson  Mills,  of  the  Army,  who,  from  a  disinter- 
ested standpoint,  has  given  it  a  great  deal  of  study.  Being  stationed 
at  Fort  Bliss  on  military  duty,  he  was  ordered  by  the  Secretary  of 
War  to  render  such  assistance  as  was  in  his  power  to  the  Geological 
Survey,  and  mak3  an  examination  of  the  project.  Mr.  W.  W.  Follett 
was  sent  to  El  Paso  to  make  the  necessary  surveys.  His  work  did  not 
begin  until  after  the  fiscal  year.  In  July,  August,  and  September 
the  work  was  completed,  and  his  report  was  made  in  October. 

Mr.  Follett  finds  it  practicable  to  construct  a  masonry  dam  at  the 
pass  65  feet  above  the  river  bottom,  with  an  adequate  waste-weir, 
which  will  create  a  lake  14£  miles  in  length  and  4  miles  maximum 
width,  with  a  surface  of  about  26,000  acres,  and  an  average  depth  of 
23.6  feet.  Its  cubical  contents  will  be  537,000  acre-feet.  There  were 
two  sites  about  If  miles  apart,  which  presented  themselves  in  the 
pass  for  making  a  dam.  The  upper  one,  giving  a  considerably  shorter 
length  of  dam,  was  chosen  for  survey  and  estimate.  Some  difficulties 
not  of  an  insurmountable  nature  were  peculiar  to  both  places.  The 
river  bed  is  occupied  with  quicksand  in  both  localities,  but  it  is  from 
30  to  50  feet  in  depth  at  the  upper  and  narrower  one,  and  only  8  to  22 
feet  in  depth  at  the  lower  one.  At  the  lower  site  one  end  of  the  dam 
would  be  in  Mexican  territory;  at  the  upper  site  both  ends  would  be 
in  United  States  territory.  In  both  of  them  two  railroads — the  South- 
ern Pacific  and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa  F*5 — would  require 
to  be  relocated,  at  great  expense;  but  at  the  upper  site  the  relocated 
grades  of  the  Atchison  and  Topeka  could  be  made  to  conform  readily 
to  the  ruling  gradient  of  that  division  of  the  road,  while  at  the  lower 
one  it  could  not  be  without  changing  their  depot  and  terminal  facil- 
ities in  El  Paso.  On  the  other  hand,  the  lower  site  would  compel 
the  Southern  Pacific  road  to  enter  Mexican  territory,  in  which  case 
the  cost  of  relocation  would  be  great.  The  upper  site  would  afford 
facilities  for  building  the  dam  higher  if  it  should  be  called  for,  while 
in  the  lower  one  this  would  be  far  more  difficult.  The  dam  at  the 
upper  site  would  be  of  much  more  expensive  construction  than  at  the 
lower  one  on  account  of  the  greater  depth  of  the  quicksand.  In  either 
case,  if  the  construction  of  a  dam  were  all,  the  lower  site  would, 
on  the  whole,  be  preferable,  but  the  railroad  complications  appear  to 
incline  the  balance  in  favor  of  the  upper  one.  The  question  as  be- 


REPORT  OF  CAPT.  C.  E.  BUTTON.  101 

tween  the  two,  however,  may  be  regarded  as  an  open  one,  worthy  of 
still  further  consideration. 

Mr.  Follett's  surveys  and  estimates  were  made  in  detail  at  the 
upper  site.  The  uncertain  element  of  cost  is  the  keeping  open  of  the 
excavation  in  quicksand.  The  Poetch  process  of  freezing  the  wet 
sand  by  pipes  and  refrigerating  machinery  has  in  many  cases  proved 
highly  effective,  but  its  application  has  hitherto  been,  so  far  as  known, 
upon  a  smaller  scale  than  would  be  necessary  here,  and  under  cir- 
cumstances of  a  somewhat  different  nature.  It  would,  however, 
naturally  receive  very  careful  consideration  in  this  connection.  Mr. 
Follett's  estimate,  however,  is  based  upon  the  use  of  crib  work  and 
wooden  caissons.  His  estimate  of  the  cost  of  the  dam  is  a  little  over 
$300,000. 

The  cost  of  removing  the  railroads  is  estimated  by  him  at  $205,000 
for  the  Southern  Pacific,  and  $385,000  for  the  Atchison,  Topeka  and 
Santa  Fe.  Both  of  these  relocations  would  involve  a  considerable 
amount  of  heavy  rock  work.  Some  land  in  the  Mesilla  Valley  which 
would  be  overflowed  by  the  reservoir  would  have  to  be  condemned, 
but  land  now  occupied  in  the  lower  part  of  the  valley  is  of  small 
value.  He  estimates  the  cost  of  the  site  at  about  $69,000.  His  total 
estimate  for  the  entire  work,  including  10  per  cent,  for  administra- 
tion and  incidentals,  is  $1,059,695, 

This  cost  is  very  moderate  in  comparison  with  the  value  of  the 
stored  water.  An  acre-foot  of  water  in  such  a  locality  may  be  esti- 
mated as  worth  at  a  minimum  $1.50  per  annum,  and  this  valuation 
should  increase  with  the  lapse  of  time.  What  proportion  of  the 
stored  water  would  be  available  for  irrigation  would  depend  upon 
the  nature  and  distribution  of  the  canal  lines  below  and  the  amount 
of  land  which  they  could  be  made  to  command.  At  least  200,000  acre- 
feet  would  be  availabe  for  high-line  canals.  To  secure  such  a  body 
of  stored  water,  an  expenditure  of  considerably  more  than  $2,000,000 
would  probably  be  ultimately  justified  and  would  be  remunerative. 

A  question  of  grave  importance  arises  in  connection  with  the  sedi- 
ment which  the  Rio  Grande  carries.  Like  all  spasmodic  rivers  in 
dry  climates,  the  amount  of  it  in  flood  time  is  very  large. 

Some  investigation  has  been  made  on  this  point  with  a  view  of  as- 
certaining how  long  it  would  require  the  river  to  deposit  sediment 
enough  in  the  reservoir  to  seriously  impair  its  utility.  The  sedi- 
ment of  the  river  during  the  last  high-water  stage  was  frequently 
sampled,  and  was  found  to  range  from  about  one-fourth  to  one-half 
of  1  per  cent,  of  the  volume  of  the  flow,  averaging  by  118  samples 
.345  of  1  per  cent.  This  represents  only  the  suspended  sediments, 
and  does  not  include  the  grosser  material  swept  along  on  the  bottom, 
whose  quantity  has  not  yet  been  estimated.  On  the  whole  it  seems 
probable  that  a  life  of  more  than  one  hundred  years  before  the  reser- 
voir is  seriously  impaired  by  the  sediment  may  be  counted  upon. 


102  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

This  might  be  greatly  prolonged  by  the  use  of  settling  reservoirs 
along  the  course  of  the  river  through  the  Jornado  del  Muerto.  There 
are  several  large  basins,  termed  locally  rincons,  in  that  portion  of 
the  river,  which  could  be  used  for  that  purpose,  a  settling  basin 
being  constructed  whenever  an  older  one  is  filled  up. 

CALIFORNIA  DIVISION. 

In  this  State  irrigation  has  made  greater  advances  than  in  any 
other.  The  chief  developments  however  have  been  in  the  southern 
half  of  the  State.  In  the  northern  half  the  necessity  of  irrigation 
has  not  until  within  the  last  ten  years  been  felt  to  be  so  absolute  as 
it  is  in  the  southern  half.  In  most  seasons  some  of  the  grosser 
staple  crops  were  found  to  mature  in  the  Sacramento  Valley  without 
irrigation.  But  with  the  increase  of  fruit  culture  it  became  prac- 
tically necessary.  The  large  affluents  of  the  Sacramento,  the  Feather, 
and  Yuba  rivers,  as  well  as  the  Sacramento  itself,  are  not  as  yet 
fully  utilized.  In  the  San  Joaquin  Valley,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
rivers  in  their  natural  condition  have  been  wholly  diverted  during 
the  lower  stages.  Irrigation  in  that  valley  has  from  the  beginning 
of  settlement  been  absolutely  indispensable.  There  is  a  marked  dif- 
ference between  the  east  and  the  west  sides  of  both  valleys  in  respect 
to  climate  and  a  still  more  striking  one  in  respect  to  water  supply. 
The  west  side  is  the  more  arid  in  climate,  and  has  only  a  few  spasmodic 
streams  which  are  dry  during  the  greater  part,  if  not  the  whole,  of 
the  irrigating  season.  The  eastern  side  is  more  humid  and  has 
many  considerable  streams  descending  from  the  Sierra  Nevada. 
These,  however,  have  been  found  insufficient  in  the  San  Joaquin 
Valley  to  irrigate  more  than  a  rather  small  fraction  of  the  land. 
The  necessity  for  more  water  here  is  a  pressing  one,  and  the  only 
method  of  obtaining  it  is  by  storage.  The  problems,  however,  on 
opposite  sides  of  the  great  valley  of  California  are  totally  distinct. 
On  the  eastern  side  the  reservoirs  would  be  only  supplementary,  and 
in  most  cases  subsidiary  to  the  rivers.  On  the  western  side  they 
would  be  the  sole  reliance.  In  the  Sacramento  Valley,  moreover, 
the  reservoir  problem,  on  the  eastern  side  at  least,  is  a  question 
rather  of  future  than  of  present  necessity,  while  on  both  sides  of 
the  San  Joaquin  it  is  an  instant  one. 

In  beginning  the  work  in  this  State  Mr.  Hall  was  instructed  to 
make  an  examination  of  the  central  part  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  around 
the  headwaters  of  the  Stanislaus,  Tuolumne,  and  Merced  Rivers  for 
the  purpose  of  locating  reservoir  sites.  It  was  expected  that  this 
search  would  be  continued  as  the  funds  appropriated  might  permit 
as  far  south  as  the  headwaters  of  the  Kern  River.  North  of  the 
Mokelumne  or  Cosumnes  River  the  Sierra  Nevada  range  has  the 
general  configuration  of  a  slightly  inclined  plateau,  sloping  westward, 


REPORT  OF  CAPT.  C.  E.  BUTTON.  103 

with  deeply  incised  valleys  and  many  irregularities,  but  also  with 
many  broad  and  flat  table-lands  between.  In  this  portion  many 
places  known  to  be  suitable  for  reservoirs  exist  and  some  of  them 
have  already  been  utilized  to  store  water  for  hydraulic  mining. 
They  drain  chiefly  into  the  Yuba  and  American  Rivers  and  it  was 
not  deemed  pressing  at  the  present  stage  of  the  inquiry  to  investigate 
them.  The  country  around  the  headwaters  of  the  Stanislaus  and 
Tuolumne  is  much  more  rugged  and  affords  fewer  tracts  in  which 
reservoirs  may  be  looked  for.  Around  the  sources  of  the  Merced  it 
is  equally  rugged.  South  of  this  river  the  Sierra  platform  becomes 
much  less  irregular  and  the  possible  or  hopeful  localities  for  reser- 
voir sites  are  more  numerous  and  extensive. 

Mr.  Hall's  field  work  was  not  started  until  July.  He  placed  a 
party  in  the  field  around  the  headwaters  of  the  Stanislaus  under  the 
immediate  charge  of  Mr.  Luther  P.  Wagoner,  who  successively  ex- 
plored this  tract  and  those  around  the  sources  of  the  Tuolumne  and 
Merced.  The  results  of  this  work  are  not  yet  to  hand  and  have  not 
been  completed  in  the  office.  But,  in  a  general  way,  it  may  be  said 
that  a  few  sites  have  been  located  as  capable  of  being  converted  into 
reservoirs  and  a  larger  number,  which  belong  to  the  doubtful  class, 
whose  capabilities  can  not  be  decided  upon  until  after  a  thorough 
investigation.  It  is  to  be  noted,  however,  that  this  region  is  the  least 
hopeful  of  any  portion  of  the  Sierra,  and  more  gratifying  results  may 
be  anticipated  when  the  survey  shall  have  reached  the  headwaters  of 
San  Joaquin,  King's,  and  Kern  Rivers.  Indeed,  one  admirable  reser- 
voir site  of  grand  proportions  is  known  to  exist  near  the  sources  of 
Kern  River. 

In  the  hope  of  discovering  something  which  might  be  of  prospect- 
ive value  to  the  western  side  of  the  valley  Mr.  Hall  was  instructed 
to  make  an  examination  of  Clear  Lake  in  the  coast  range.  This 
large  sheet  of  water  must  receive  a  very  considerable  inflow,  but 
during  the  year  the  outflow  is  small.  The  difference  is  accounted 
for  by  evaporation.  There  are  numerous  lakes  throughout  the  West 
which  present  no  difficulties  of  an  engineering  character  which  could 
prevent  turning  them  into  great  reservoirs.  They  also  receive  large 
rivers.  But  the  broad  surfaces  they  offer  to  evaporation  render  them 
of  inferior  value  for  this  purpose.  In  some  cases  it  is  possible  to 
contract  the  surface,  still  leaving  sufficient  capacity  to  store  the  in- 
flow, thus  diminishing  the  loss.  In  other  cases  this  is  impracticable. 
Clear  Lake  was  regarded  as  an  example  which  was  worthy  of  special 
investigation.  If  it  could  be  made  to  yield  any  considerably  in- 
creased outflow  the  water  would  have  exceptionally  high  value. 
The  lands  which  it  might  irrigate  are  among  the  most  valuable  in 
the  country  for  fruit  culture.  A  second  party  was  therefore  organ- 
ized, in  charge  of  Mr.  C.  G.  Rockwood,  to  make  a  thorough  survey 
of  the  lake  and  its  outlet.  This  survey  was  completed  early  in  Octo- 


104  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

her  and  the  field  notes  are  now  being  worked  up  in  the  office.  At 
the  present  time  the  results  of  the  survey  are  not  to  hand. 

In  the  northern  part  of  the  State,  east  of  the  Sierras,  in  Modoc 
and  Lassen  Counties,  there  is  a  large  amount  of  fine  land  needing 
water.  Although  the  precipitation  upon  the  mountains  is  quite 
large,  and  is  not  inconsiderable  even  upon  the  adjoining  lowlands, 
there  are  very  few  streams  which  are  available.  The  country,  on 
the  whole,  is  favorable  to  the  occurrence  of  reservoir  sites.  It  was 
therefore  decided  to  make  a  reconnaissance  in  search  of  them.  Two 
men  were  sent  upon  this  errand  in  the  month  of  July  and  found 
several  sites,  two  of  them  of  large  capacity. 

Further  work  is  contemplated  during  the  winter  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  State,  but  its  details  are  not  yet  decided  upon. 

LAHONTAN   DIVISION   IN   NEVADA. 

It  was  believed  that  in  the  State  of  Nevada  better  results  might  be 
hoped  for  in  the  basins  of  the  Truckee  and  Carson  Rivers  than  else- 
where. These  streams  head  immediately  under  or  upon  the  crest  of 
the  Sierra  and  where  the  snow-fall  is  heavy  and  where  the  water 
passes  through  lakes,  or  basins  which  may  have  once  been  lakes  but 
are'now  empty  and  can  be  converted  into  lakes  again.  The  Truckee 
drainage  is  exceptionally  favorable  for  storage.  The  main  fork  of 
the  river  issues  from  Lake  Tahoe  and  a  dam  could  be  built  across 
the  outlet  at  an  insignificant  cost.  Tahoe,  however,  is  one  of  those 
lakes  which  is  too  large  for  a  good  reservoir.  Its  surface  is  about 
190  square  miles  in  extent  while  its  entire  water-shed  does  not  ex- 
ceed 500  square  miles.  Its  inflow  must  be  quite  abundant,  however, 
as  the  feeders  rise  under  the  very  eaves  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  when 
the  precipitation  is  large.  But  the  great  surface  exposed  to  evapo- 
ration returns  much  the  larger  portion  of  the  inflow  to  the  atmos- 
phere. Nor  can  this  surface  be  diminished,  for  Tahoe  is  a  very  deep 
lake,  in  fact  one  of  the  deepest  in  the  world,  and  the  slopes  of  its 
basin  descend  into  the  depths  with  great  abruptness.  Even  if  it  were 
possible  public  sentiment  would  justly  regard  such  a  change  as  van- 
dalism, destroying  or  marring  one  of  the  most  beautiful  sheets  of 
water  on  the  globe.  No  degree  of  utility  for  irrigation  purposes 
would  compensate  such  an  injury.  A  single  foot  of  water,  however, 
over  this  large  surface  would  suffice  to  irrigate  50,000  acres  of  land, 
and  the  question  arises  whether  such  a  supply  may  not  be  obtained. 
The  question  is  a  meterologic  rather  than  an  engineering  one.  All 
the  construction  which  could  be  of  any  avail  would  cost  less  than 
$5,000.  The  best  method  of  reaching  a  solution  may  be  prescribed 
at  once.  It  is  to  build  a  dam  and  try  it.  The  cost  would  be  trifling 
and  the  result  incontrovertible.  Even  if  it  proved  a  failure  the  ad- 
vantage of  setting  the  question  at  rest  would  be  worth  far  more  than 
the  cost. 


REPORT  OF  CAPT.  C.  E.  BUTTON.  105 

Immediately  above  the  town  of  Truckee  is  Donner  Lake,  a  beau- 
tiful sheet  of  water  about  2i  miles  long  and  half  a  mile  wide,  with  a 
surface  of  about  900  acres.  It  is  well  adapted  for  a  moderate-sized 
reservoir.  Its  immediate  watershed  is  only  13  square  miles.  But 
just- below  its  outlet  a  second  valley — the  Coldstream — opens  into  its 
lower  basin,  with  15  or  16  square  miles  of  watershed.  Both  valleys 
are  immediately  under  the  crest  of  the  Sierra  and  receive  a  large 
annual  precipitation,  Its  precise  average  is  unknown,  but  is  conject- 
ured to  be  nearly  33  inches  per  annum.  The  run-off  is  also  unknown, 
and  an  estimate  would  at  present  be  hazardous.  But  if  like  situa- 
tions and  conditions  may  be  used  as  the  basis  of  a  preliminary  esti- 
mate, an  annual  run-off  of  a  foot  over  the  entire  area  may  be  a  mod- 
erate one,  giving  about  18,000  acre-feet  available  for  storage. 

A  few  miles  further  north  lies  Independence  Lake,  of  about  the 
same  size  as  Donner  Lake.  Its  available  catchment  is  uncertain,  but 
the  indications  now  are  that  it  will  be  equal  to  that  of  Donner  Lake, 
if  not  larger,  as  a  stream  of  about  35  feet  per  second  was  flowing  out 
of  it  late  in  August.  Still  further  north  is  Weber  Lake.  This  is 
less  than  half  the  size  of  either  of  the  other  two  and  its  watershed  is 
small;  but  it  is  at  the  summit  of  the  Sierra  and  its  tribute  must  be 
considerable.  Both  Weber  and  Independence  Lakes  drain  through 
the  Little  Truckee,  which  enters  the  main  river  near  the  village  of 
Boca.  There  is  still  a  fourth  basin  between  Donner  and  Independ- 
ence which  is  probably  capable  of  being  converted  into  a  good  res- 
ervoir, but  it  contains  no  lakes.  The  indications  now  are  that 
50,000  or  60,000  acre  feet  of  water  may  be  stored  in  the  four  basins 
at  a  reasonable  cost.  To  this  may  be  added  the  unknown  amount 
obtainable  from  Tahoe. 

The  Carson  River  is  a  much  larger  stream  than  the  Truckee,  car- 
rying at  rather  low  stages  not  far  from  1,000  cubic  feet  per  second. 
There  is  the  possibility  of  storage  near  its  sources,  but  it  will  be  less 
in  amount  and  more  expensive  to  attain  than  in  the  Truckee  Basin. 
At  the  head  of  the  west  fork  of  the  river  in  Hope  Valley  there  is  a 
considerable  basin  which  might  be  converted  into  a  reservoir,  but 
the  dam  would  have  to  be  large  and  costly.  The  watershed  is  ample 
and  being  situated  upon  the  summit  of  the  Sierra  platform,  a  very 
large  supply  of  water  would  be  available  for  catchment.  A  second 
site  of  smaller  proportions  occurs  between  the  east  and  west  forks 
in  Long  Valley.  It  might  be  filled  by  a  diversion  from  the  east 
fork,  but  this  would  involve  a  tunnel  or  deep  rock  cut.  Moreover, 
there  is  no  good  material  of  which  to  build  it  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
borhood and  the  abutments  for  the  dam  are  not  satisfactory.  It 
would  be  a  somewhat  costly  undertaking.  Another  possible  site  is 
near  Markleeville,  on  the  east  fork,  but,  as  no  survey  has  been  made 
of  it,  its  capabilities  are  unknown. 

Mr.  Lyman  Bridges,  who  was  assigned  to  the  charge  of  this  divis- 


106  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

ion,  took  the  field  in  June,  and  made  surveys  of  Donner,  Independ- 
ence, and  Weber  Lakes,  in  the  Truckee  Basin,  and  of  Hope  Val- 
ley and  Long  Valley,  in  the  Carson  Basin.  The  results  of  this  sur- 
vey are  yet  to  be  worked  out  in  the  office,  and  it  is  not  practicable  at 
present  to  give  more  definite  accounts  of  them  than  those  already 
stated.  He  also  examined  the  trough  of  the  Truckee,  near  Wads- 
worth,  with  a  view  to  ascertaining  the  best  methods  of  taking  water 
from  the  river  and  carrying  it  to  the  lands  lying  southeast  of  that 
town,  which  are  well  situated  for  receiving  it  and  of  more  than  suf- 
ficient extent  to  utilize  it. 

SNAKE   RIVER  DIVISION. 

The  Snake  is  one  of  the  large  rivers  of  the  West,  carrying  at  the 
lowest  stages  more  than  3,000  second  feet  of  water.  Its  sources  in 
Yellowstone  Park  arid  in  the  Teton  and  Wind  River  ranges  are 
regions  of  large  precipitation,  which  yield  many  perpetual  streams. 
Emerging  from  th'1  mountains  the  Snake  flows  out  into  an  immense 
plain  250  miles  in  ..ength  and  from  50  to  100  miles  in  width.  A  large 
portion  of  this  plain  has  been  overflowed,  in  comparatively  recent 
geological  times,  by  extravasations  of  basaltic  lava,  much  of  which 
is  still  an  expanse  of  black  barren  rock,  while  some  of  it  is  imper- 
fectly buried  in  drifted  sand  and  soil.  But  there  are  also  some  millions 
of  acres  of  land  of  excellent  quality  and  as  favorably  situated  for  an 
extensive  irrigation  as  any  in  the  West.  Indeed,  it  may  be  said  that 
the  eastern  portion  of  the  Snake  River  plains  offers  about  the  best 
opportunity  for  a  splendid  irrigation  development  of  any  portion  of 
the  West  whose  capabilities  are  at  present  understood.  Settlement, 
however,  has  until  within  the  last  two  or  three  years,  almost  wholly 
avoided  it.  The  reason  is  not  far  to  seek.  There  is  little  opportunity 
for  the  pioneer  stage  of  development.  This  stage  requires  small 
streams  which  can  be  attacked  by  the  resources  of  a  few  settlers 
without  capital.  Outside  of  the  mountains  the  Snake  has  exceed- 
ingly few  small  tributaries.  Whatever  is  done  must  require  the 
resources  of  more  or  less  capital.  With  very  slight  qualification  the 
development  must  in  the  ordinary  course  begin  at  the  second  stage, 
that  of  multiple  ditches.  Until  very  recently  there  has  been  no 
sufficient  demand  for  land  to  cause  the  development  to  leap  over  the 
first  stage  and  begin  with  the  second.  It  has,  however,  begun  now, 
and  for  two  years  has  been  proceeding  with  a  rapidity  that  may  well 
be  regarded  as  formidable. 

This  great  river  and  the  large  extent  of  land  adjoining  it  capable 
of  being  irrigated  by  its  waters,  offered  a  problem  of  the  highest 
interest,  and  it  was  determined  to  make  a  thorough  examination  of 
their  capabilities.  Mr.  A.  D.  Foote  was  assigned  to  this  division 
and  began  his  field  work  in  June.  A  field  party  was  equipped  in 
charge  of  assistant  A.  W.  Wiley,  and  at  once  began  the  survey  of  a 


REPORT  OF  CAPT.  0.  E.  BUTTON.  107 

high-line  canal  route,  taking  water  at  Eagle  Rock  on  the  Utah  and 
Northern  Railroad  and  extending  southward  to  Pocatello.  At  Eagle 
Rock  the  banks  of  the  river  are  very  low  and  a  natural  dam  site  is 
found.  There  is  practically  no  diversion-line  necessary.  The  canal 
can  leave  the  river  bed  at  once,  coursing  directly  for  the  foot-hills  to 
the  southeastward,  and  having  good  agricultural  land  under  it  almost 
from  the  very  beginning.  It  would  command  all  the  land  between 
the  foot-hills  of  the  Snake  River  range  and  the  river ;  and  more 
favorably  situated  or  better  land  can  not  be  found.  There  is  hardly 
an  acre  of  waste  ground  in  the  entire  tract  of  more  than  200,000 
acres.  The  examination  of  the  lands  on  the  right  bank  was  post- 
poned until  the  early  spring  owing  to  the  total  absence  of  water, 
which  may  be  looked  for  only  after  the  early  rains. 

While  Mr.  Wiley  was  surveying  the  canal  route,  Mr.  Foote  him- 
self undertook  a  reconnoissance  of  the  main  fork  of  the  river  in  search 
of  reservoir  sites.  The  result  of  his  search  was  most  gratifying. 
At  the  head  of  the  main  fork  of  the  Snake  are  Shoshone  and  Lewis 
Lakes,  both  of  which  might  make  reservoirs,  but  only  of  very  limited 
utility.  Much  better  resources  were  found.  At  Jackson's  Lake, 
between  the  Teton  and  Wind  River  ranges,  it  is  possible  to  construct, 
at  relatively  small  cost,  a  reservoir  which  will  hold  a  far  greater  body 
of  water  than  the  entire  annual  flow  of  the  river  above  the  lake's 
outlet.  The  present  area  of  the  lake  is  not  far  from  40  square  miles, 
while  its  water-shed  is  between  750  and  800  square  miles.  The  pre- 
cipitation over  this  area  is,  for  the  Western  country,  a  maximum. 
In  estimating  the  resources  of  grand  reservoirs  it  is  to  be  borne  in 
mind  that  their  utility  is  in  most  cases  greatly  impaired  by  loss  from 
evaporation.  But  when  the  ratio  of  inflow  to  surface  exposed  is 
large,  the  perc  ntage  of  loss  is  greatly  reduced  and  the  value  of  the 
reservoir  is  vastly  increased.  This  is  the  case  with  Jackson's  Lake. 
The  indications  now  are  that,  after  a  reasonable  allowance  for  evap- 
oration, an  available  output  of  stored  water  may  be  obtained  from 
Jackson's  Lake  of  at  least  500,000  acre-feet,  and  possibly  much  more. 

Farther  down  the  fork  at  Swan  Valley  is  another  reservoir  site  of 
the  grandest  proportions,  with  a  narrow  outlet  where  a  dam  can  be 
constructed  at  moderate  cost.  A  little  above  it  is  another  basin  of 
somewhat  larger  proportions,  but  in  a  hasty  reconnoissance  it  was 
impracticable  to  form  a  confident  opinion  upon  the  dam  site. 

On  the  Falls  River  fork  of  the  Snake,  which  is  the  second  branch 
in  respect  to  size,  a  reservoir  site  has  been  discovered  which  is  of 
almost  indefinite  capacity.  The  available  catchment  will  be  insuf- 
ficient to  fill  it.  An  apparently  good  dam  site  exists. 

All  these  basins  remain  to  be  surveyed  with  a  view  of  ascertaining 
more  definitely  their  capacities,  available  catchments,  and  cost  of 
construction.  But  enough  is  known  to  warrant  the  statement  that 
the  possibil  ties  of  storage  are  vast,  far  exceeding  that  of  any  other 


108 


IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 


known  river  in  the  West,  and  that  the  cost,  though  absolutely  con- 
siderable, will  be  small  relatively  to  the  value  of  the  stored  water. 
The  larger  portion  of  the  upper  tributaries  of  the  Snake  remains 
to  be  reconnoitered  for  reservoir  sites.  Many  others  are  reported 
and  the  topography  of  the  country  is  favorable  to  their  occurrence. 
Mr.  Foote  has  also  made  an  examination  of  the  question  of  taking 
out  the  water  of  the  Snake  at  American  Falls,  on  the  south  side,  with 
a  view  of  reaching  some  good  lands  below  that  place.  The  scheme 
was  found  to  be  impracticable  by  reason  of  prohibitory  cost. 
Very  respectfully, 

C.  E.  BUTTON, 

Captain,  etc. 


EXPENDITURES. 

Classification  of  expenditures  of  $100,000  for  irrigation,  1889. 


A.  Services 

B.  Traveling  expenses 

C.  Transportation  of  property 

D.  Field  subsistence 

E.  Field  supplies  and  expenses 

F.  Field  material 

G.  Instruments 

K.  Books  and  maps 

L.    Stationery  and  drawing  material 

O.   Office  furniture 

P.   Office  supplies  and  repairs 

Q.   Storage 

R.  Correspondence 

Bonded  railroad  accounts  settled  at  Treasury,  viz: 

Transportation  of  assistants $1, 280. 35 

Freight 519. 34 


Unexpended  balance. 


$40, 628. 37 

9, 959. 97 

1,705.72 

6,333.57 

8, 940. 53 

17,756.74 

11,420.12 

28.60 

727. 08 

97.25 

100. 85 

105. 00 

264. 97 


1,799.69 
131.54 


Total 100, 000. 00 


Abstract  of  disbursements  made  by  Jno.  D.  McChesney,  chief  disbursing  clerk,  U. 
S.  Geological  Survey,  during  the  second  quarter  of  1889. 


Date 
of  pay- 
ment. 

No.  of 
voucher. 

To  whom  paid. 

For  what  paid. 

Amount. 

1888. 
Oct.   23 

83 

C.  E.  Button    

gl5  70 

24 

88 

S.  J.  Haislett  

Field  expenses 

32  00 

31 

123 

Pay-roll  of  employes  

Services,  October  1888 

188  22 

31 

128 

do  

do...  

37  10 

Nov.    2 

138 

do  

do  ... 

158  86 

2 

140 

Q.  E.  Verrill 

39  15 

2 

141 

Josiah  Pierce,  jr  

do  

39  25 

2 

142 

H.  M.  Wilson  .  . 

do  .... 

16  25 

2 

143 

do  

do  

12  75 

5 

146 

Robert  Robertson 

do 

19  51 

6 

152 

Baltimore  and  Ohio  R.  R  

Transportation  of  assistants 

570  35 

14 

174 

Sparks  Bros  

18  horses     

2  358  00 

14 

175 

Asken  Bros  

•-.'<>  horse  blankets 

105  00 

15 

178 

Quartermaster's  Department  U.  S. 

Tents                

302  91 

Army. 

ABSTRACT    OF    DISBURSEMENTS.  109 

Abstracts  of  disbursements  made  by  Jno.  D.  McChesney,  etc.—  Continued. 


Date 
of  pay- 
ment. 

No.  of 
voucher. 

To  whom  paid. 

For  what  paid. 

Amount. 

1888. 

188 

E  R  Rail                                  

Field  material  

$616.11 

20 

189 

do            

441.65 

20 

190 

Subsistence  supplies  

67.05 

20 

191 

G  T  Davis                                  

.  .  .do  

109.05 

20 

194 

H  M  Wilson 

Miscellaneous  field  supplies  

96.05 

20 
20 

195 
196 

...'...do  
do                                  

Field  material  
Traveling  expenses  

387.f>0 
20.00 

20 

197 

Services,  October,  1888  

20.79 

22 

203 

R  S  Tarr 

Traveling  expenses  

17.90 

22 

204 

Geo  T  Quinby                                   .... 

do  

17.35 

22 

210 

Instruments  and  repairs  

217.35 

22 

211 

Transportation  of  assistants  

46.65 

23 

217 

Traveling  expenses  

9.25 

23 

318 

do              ,                              

do  

24.33 

23 

219 

G  T  Davis 

Field  subsistence,  etc  

52.97 

23 

220 

Field  expenses  

24.79 

23 

221 

Field  material  

134.00 

23 

222 

G  E  Verrill 

Field  expenses,  etc  

32.90 

24 

223 

H  M  Wilson                

do  

185.08 

30 

244 

R  S  Swift                          

18  mules  

2,421.00 

30 

259 

Salary,  November,  1888  

110.00 

30 

262 

W  D  Castle 

Supplies    

14.00 

30 

2(53 

Services,  October  30  to  31,  1888  

3.87 

291 

Instruments          

83.00 

10 

305 

Fred  A  Schmidt 

Topographic  supplies  

16.50 

10 

340 

.25 

20 

357 

C  H  Pond 

Irrigation  supplies  

14.00 

27 

370 

Western  Union  Telegraph  Co 

Telegrams    

34.32 

27 

371 

Letter-file  case  

77.00 

27 

378 

S  J  Haislett 

Tents                 

40.00 

31 

421 

Services,  December.  1888  

156.  13 

31 

430 

Transportation  of  assistants      .   .  . 

6.65 

Total 

9,  392.  04 

Abstract  of  disbursements  made  by  Mark  B.  Kerr,  disbursing  agent,  U.  S.  Geologi- 
cal Survey,  during  the  second  quarter  of  1889. 


Date 
of  pay- 
ment. 

No.  of 
voucher. 

To  whom  paid. 

For  what  paid. 

Amount. 

1888. 
Oct    13 

26 

H  M  Wilson             

Field  expenses  

<26  25 

13 

50 

do 

49  50 

13 

51 

R  H  McKee            .                          .... 

....do  

57.81 

13 

52 

Dan  D  Calkins    

....do... 

8.50 

15 

54 

Paul  Holmau  

do... 

1.40 

16 

57 

A  F  Dunnington              

do  

58.65 

58 

R  H  McKee    

do  

60.19 

17 

59 

.  do    

do  

30.77 

18 

60 

Arthur  P  Davis                  

do  .... 

54.81 

21 

62 

R  Henry  Phillips 

Traveling  expenses 

22  25 

22 

63 

Dan  D  Calkius                                 

Field  expenses 

43.25 

25 

65 

W  L  Tremble  &  Co      

Forage  

27.00 

25 

68 

H  M  Wilson 

Field  expenses 

116  86 

27 

69 

F  G  Pratt  &  Co 

Field  subsistence 

22  21 

27 

70 

A  E  Laudenslager  

do  

21.84 

27 

71 

G  W  Bond  &  Co                            

Field  supplies 

10  45 

27 

72 

Arthur  P  Davis             

Field  expenses  ... 

49  35 

27 

73 

\  F  Dunnington  

do  

69.80 

31 

75 

Paul  Holman  .   .  .        

Services,  October,  1888 

66  23 

31 

78 

Pay-roll  (McKee)  

do  

265  25 

31 

80 

H  M  Wilson      .  .               .  .              

Field  expenses                                   .. 

74  50 

31 

81 

do       

Services.  October,  1888    .  . 

92  39 

31 

82 

Pay-roll  (Davis)  

do  

753.  59 

89 

Pay-roll  (Chapman)  

do  

342  30 

g 

90 

Field  expenses 

35  76 

g 

91 

Pay-roll  (Tweedy)          ... 

Services,  October  1888 

326  55 

g 

92 

Pay-roll  (Dunnington)            

do  

236.44 

g 

04 

Redick  H  McKee  .   . 

Field  expenses 

31  25 

g 

95 

A  F  Dunnington    

do  .... 

44.55 

98 

I  Karker  &  Co 

Field  repairs  etc 

19  50 

g 

99 

Field  subsistence                           

86  43 

R 

inn 

Harrv  H.  Hackett    . 

Services.  October  30.  1888.  .  . 

3.23 

110  IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 

Abstract  of  disbursemente  made  by  Mark  B.  Kerr,  etc.— Continued. 


Date 
of  pay- 
ment. 

No.  of 
voucher. 

To  whom  paid. 

For  what  paid. 

Amount. 

1888. 
Oct      8 

102 

Dan  D.  Calkins  

Field  expenses  

$20.  50 

g 

103 

Arthur  Bishoff 

Field  material 

8  98 

8 

105 

Reaser  Bros  

Field  subsistence  

143.28 

8 

106 

W.  H.  McKenzie  

Field  supplies  

38.15 

8 

107 

Redick  H.  McKee 

Field  expenses. 

40  95 

8 

108 

A.  F.  Dunnington  ...                    ... 

do  

34.00 

5 

111 

Mark  B.  Kerr  

Services,  October,  1888  

141.82 

13 

112 

A.  F.  Dunnington       .... 

Field  expenses  . 

29  90 

15 

116 

Philip  S.  Levflls  

Traveling  expenses    

25.25 

15 

118 

R.  H.  Chapman  

Field  expenses  

4.50 

15 

119 

Arthur  P.  Davis  

do  

85.15 

15 

120 

VanArsdell  &  Co..     . 

Forage  .  . 

19.30 

16 

121 

A.  F.  Dunnington  

Field  expenses  

63.60 

21 

125 

Sparks  Bros 

Forage  ... 

14  50 

21 

126 

A.  Holmes  

Services,  November  1  to  10  1888 

15.00 

22 

129 

Redick  H.  McKee  

Field  expenses  

42.00 

22 

130 

Arthur  P.  Davis  

do  

57.20 

28 

131 

A.H.Thompson 

Traveling  expenses    

191  50 

28 

134 

Josiah  Pierce,  jr     

Field  expenses  

73.06 

28 

135 

G.E.  Verrill... 

do..  . 

67.17 

28 

136 

H.  M.  Wilson 

do  

51.89 

28 

138 

Redick  H.  McKee 

do  

78.25 

30 

140 

Arthur  P  Davis 

Services,  November  1888 

163  00 

30 

142 

Redick  H  McKee 

Field  expenses                ..... 

21.00 

30 

143 

Pay-roll  (McKee) 

Services,  November,  1888  

177.  40 

30 

144 

Frank  Senn  

do  

6.67 

30 

145 

Harry  H  Hackett 

do  

50.00 

30 

146 

J.  H.  Boring 

Services,  October,  1888  

45.16 

30 

150 

Pay-roll  (Wilson)              

Services,  November.  1888.  

809.20 

30 

151 

William  L.  Maxwell  

Traveling  expenses  

6.00 

30 

152 

Dan  D  Calkins 

do  

33.75 

30 

153 

William  L.  Maxwell     ...             ... 

Services,  October,  1888  

20.32 

30 

155 

Pay-roll  (McKee)    .                     

Services,  November,  1888  

140.00 

30 

156 

S.  P.  Johnson  

Services,  December.  1888  

27.09 

30 

157 

R  H  Chapman 

Services,  November,  1888  

97.80 

30 

158 

Alice  M.  Prouty  

Services,  December,  1888  

5.16 

Dec    15 

161 

Pay-roll  (Davis) 

Services  November  1888  

220.00 

15 

162 

Pay-roll  (Douglas) 

do  

384.96 

15 

163 

Frank  Tweedy                  .... 

Traveling  expenses  

115.20 

15 

164 

H  M  Wilson 

Field  expenses    

72.12 

15 

165 

do 

Field  supplies  

5.00 

15 

168 

C  S.  Swift  

Services,  November,  1888  

39.00 

15 

169 

Charles  W.  Friend  

do  

19.00 

15 

171 

R  H  Chapman 

Services,  October,  1888  

9.27 

15 

172 

E  M  Douglas 

Field  expenses  

44,54 

15 
15 

176 
177 

Pay-roll  (Davis)  
Mark  B  Kerr                            

Services,  November,  1888  
Field  expenses  

763.  10 
19.94 

Nov   30 

179 

...  do                                           

Services,  November,  1888  

146.80 

Dec    15 

180 

Redick  H  McKee 

Field  expenses  

110.72 

15 

181 

Harry  A  Hackett 

Services,  December,  1888  

4.84 

15 

183 

Forage                                        

12.00 

15 

187 

H  M  Wilson 

Field  expenses  

39.67 

15 

188 

G  T  Davis 

Field  subsistence  

99.14 

15 

189 

Field  expenses           

2  50 

15 

190 

do 

Traveling  expenses  

129.75 

15 

191 

H  M  Wilson 

Field  expenses  

80.86 

15 

192 

G  E  Verrill 

do                

36.00 

15 

193 

....  do           

51.53 

15 

194 

....do  

95.15 

15 

195 

do                        

40.31 

17 

199 

Telegrams    .  .                   

14.85 

17 

201 

do 

do    

9.22 

17 

205 

Arthur  P  Davis 

Services,  October,  1888       

9.27 

17 

206 

Paul  Holman      

Services,  November,  1888    .      .     .  . 

68.40 

17 

208 

G  E  Verrill 

Field  expenses      .                

32.35 

17 

209 

A.  H  Thompson 

Traveling  expenses  

180.00 

20 

210 

Henry  Gannett  

do  

132.90 

23 

211 

Field  expenses        

37.93 

23 

212 

Arthur  P  Davis 

do            

76.02 

23 

.213 

R.  H.  Chapman       .                        

do  

32.20 

23 

214 

Thomas  Clement 

12.50 

23 

215 

W.  S  Montgomery 

Pasturage     .        

67.00 

23 

216 

C.  S.  Swift  

Services,  December  1  to  10,  1888  

16.00 

23 

217 

Mark  B  Kerr 

Services  December,  1888    

151.60 

31 

224 

R.  H.  Chapman 

do    

101.10 

31 

225 

122.00 

31 

233 

Pay-roll  (Kerr) 

Services  December,  1888  

460.30 

Total     .  .  . 

10,021.40 

A15STRACT    OF    DISBURSEMENTS. 


Ill 


Abstract  of  disbursements  made  by  Anton  Karl,  disbursing  agent,  U.  S.  Geological 
Survey,  during  the  second  quarter  of  1889. 


Date 
of  pay- 
ment. 

No.  of 
voucher. 

To  whom  paid. 

For  what  paid. 

Amount. 

1888. 
Oct.    17 
16 
17 
16 
16 
16 
16 
19 
22 
22 
22 
22 
22 
22 
22 
22 
21 
21 
24 
24 
24 
27 
Z* 
30 
30 
30 
30 
30 
Nov.    3 
6 
7 
7 
14 
15 
15 
16 
16 
12 
15 
19 
19 
19 
21 
23 
23 
26 
29 
29 
28 
29 
29 
30 
30 
30 
Dec.     1 
4 
3 
3 
7 
18 
8 
7 
9 
10 
13 
14 
18 
16 
17 
17 
17 
20 
24 
31 
31 
19 
29 

1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
30 
31 
32 
88 
34 
35 
36 
37 
38 
39 
40 
41 
42 
43 
44 
45 
46 
47 
48 
49 
50 
51 
52 
53 
54 
55 
56 
57 
58 
59 
60 
61 
62 
63 
64 
65 
66 
67 
68 
69 
70 
71 
72 
73 
75 
76 
77 
78 

J  C  McGuire  

Traveling  expenses  

$19.50 
19.00 
19.25 
6.00 
125.75 
405.00 
254.50 

do    

Louis  William  Mohun       

....do  

W  H  Hyatt 

Horse-shoeing         .        

do 

Field  material     

do 

do  

do 

do                 .           

F  Morgan  

Services,  October  17  and  18,  1888  
Traveling  expenses             

5.00 
24.25 
19.25 
18.50 
45.35 
18.00 
18.00 
1.75 
680.10 
63.00 
25.00 
6.60 
189.  14 
188.87 
10.50 
9.00 
18.85 
487.68 
101.59, 
21.10 
242.75 
34.00 
390.  93 
28.50 
24.25 
382.00 
5.00 
10.60 
162.  98 
30.50 
22.00 
8.50 
28.12 
23.25 
6.00 
22.00 
1.75 
6.25 
6.17 
8.25 
1.70 
2.25 
2.50 
41.16 
150.00 
99.26 
117.  15 
723.09 
40.80 
14.70 
9.00 
25.00 
5.40 
221.01 
1.50 
1.90 
1.25 
21.00 
1.00 
44.25 
19.85 
5.00 
5,45 
14.  10 
12.00 
5.96 

William  S  Post 

.   ...do  .        

W  B  Corse 

do  

Alexander  C  Barclay. 

do  

do.                       

do  

W  C  Wertman                                 

Services,  October  22,  1888  

Camp  equipment  

W  C  Furst 

Subsistence  

W.  H.  Hyatt  
\  E  Finn 

Transportation  
Subsistence             .             

Camp  equipment  

do      

Subsistence  and  camp  equipment.  .  . 
...  do                   

Transportation  

Robert  \  Farmer 

Traveling  expenses  

Pay-roll        

October,  1888  

do 

...  do      .          

J  W  Hays 

Traveling  expenses  

W  H  Hyatt        

Field  material  

A  E  Finn 

D  C  CrawfoVd 

John  T.  Williams  
Willard  D  Johnson 

Transportation  
.  .  .  .do        .          

A  E  Finn            

Field  material  

Field  expenses      

Willard  D  Johnson 

Camp  equipment  

Annie  Campbell      

Subsistence  

John  Taylor  
Anton  Karl 

Transportation  
Traveling  expenses  .  .          

Mrs.  James  Kennedy  

Subsistence  .        

J.B.McNeal  

Transportation  
Subsistence  and  transportation  
Subsistence             

Clay  Bell 

S.  A.  Snyder  

Transportation  and  field  material.  .  . 

.     .do           .                                 .   .   .. 

Telegrams                        

S  A.  Snyder    

Field  expenses               • 

F  Bradley 

H  S  Stansbury 

Services  November  26  1888    

John  Fisher    .... 

.     .do                          

Edward  Elgenfritz 

'Pay-roll 

November  1888                    

Willard  D.  Johnson  .  .  . 
do  

Field  material  
Subsistence               

Pay-roll 

November  1888                   

Charles  P.  Abdell 

Noah  Cann  
S.  Montrose  

Subsistence  
.   ...do      

John  Boyd  

do                                   

J.  W.  Dobbins  

Traveling  expenses    

Willard  D.  Johnson  

Subsistence  and  field  material  
do              

E.  Forster  

Noah*Cann  

Transportation  

John  Boyd  
W.  H.  Lithgran         .           ».            ... 

Subsistence  
do                 

H.  F.  Comstock         

Expressage    

J.  S.  Parker  
A.  E.  Finn  
Edward  Rollandet  ....        

Lodging  and  transportation     

Subsistence  
Field  material  

Anton  Karl 

Traveling  expenses                  

do      .. 

...  do    

Clay  Bell  

Subsistence  

Pay-roll        

December,  1S88    

833.20 
20.75 
68.50 
52.31 

Anton  Karl  
W  H  Hyatt 

Traveling  expenses  
Transportation                  

J  C  McGuire 

do         

Total 

6,805.37 

112 


IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 


Abstract  of  disbursements  made  by  P.  H.  Christie,  special  disbursing  agent,  U.  S. 
Geological  Survey,  during  the  second  quarter  of  1889. 


Date 
of  pay- 
'  ment. 

•sl 

«1 

fcg 

To  whom  paid. 

For  what  paid. 

Amount. 

1888. 
Nov.  30 
30 

i 

2 

Pay-roll  
P.  H.  Christie  

Services,  November,  1888  
Services  November  16  to  30  1888 

$467.  50 
73  37 

Dec.  10 

3 

Geo.  T  .  Quinby  

Traveling  expenses 

28  05 

10 

4 

Fred'k  H.  Newell  

do 

92  10 

10 

5 

J.  B.  Williams  

do 

111  65 

11 

6 

Palace  Hotel  

Subsistence 

90  00 

11 

7 

Gerard  D.  Koch  

Field  supplies 

112  94 

12 

8 

H.  B.  Cartwright  

do  

95  08 

12 

9 

W.  A.  McKenzie  

do 

144  43 

13 

10 

R.  S.  Tarr.  .\  

Traveling  expenses 

42  83 

13 

11 

P.  H.  Christie  

do  . 

157  15 

14 

12 

Geo.  T.  Quinby  

101  33 

19 

13 

R.  S.  Tarr  

.  .    do 

13  95 

19 

14 

Album  Lopez  

Subsistence 

34  37 

19 

15 

F.  H.  Newell  

35  60 

20 

16 

C.  E.  Dutton  

72  85 

20 

17 

Philo,  Ttnmsfty 

Subsistence 

53  38 

20 

18 

W.  A.  McKenzie  

Field  supplies 

49  06 

22 

19 

Gurasfeld,  Lindheim  &  Co  

do  

21  47 

22 

20 

Gerard  D.Koch  

do 

30  32 

22 

21 

W.  A.  McKenzie  

do 

52  75 

22 

22 

H.  B.  Cartwright  

do    ... 

168  72 

26 

23 

Palace  Hotel  

37  00 

31 

24 

Pay-roll,  December,  1888    

825  62 

31 

25 

George  E  .  Curtis  

Traveling  expenses 

18  78 

31 

26 

Alf  red  C.  Lane 

do 

90  60 

31 

27 

P.  H.  Christie  

94  52 

31 
31 

28 
29 

Pay  roll  of  employes  .  .  . 
F.H.  Newell  

Services,  December,  1888  
Field  expenses 

97.57 
46  93 

31 

30 

George  E.  Curtis  

Services,  December  20  to  31  1888 

45  15 

Total  

3  295  06 

Abstract  of  disbursements  made  by  Jno.  D.  McChesney,  chief  disbursing  clerk,  U.  S. 
Geological  Survey,  during  the  third  quarter  of  1889. 


Date 
of  pay- 
ment. 

No.  of 
voucher. 

To  whom  paid. 

For  what  paid. 

Amount. 

'1889. 
Jan    10 

5 

J  W  Powell 

Traveling  expenses 

$58  55 

10 

6 

do 

do  

46.  55 

18 

16 

J  Karr       

Irrigation  instruments  

30.00 

21 

36 

Robt.  Boyd  

Office  supplies  •.  

1.60 

21 

38 

Freight  charges.     .  .        ... 

113  00 

21 

40 

W  &  L  E  Gurley 

Instruments  

319.05 

22 

41 

Pennsylvania  R  R     .   .                 

Transportation  of  assistants  

93.30 

22 

45 

Baltimore  and  Ohio  R.  R  

do  

760.50 

25 

72 

M  W  Beveridge 

Material  

1.35 

25 

73 

Adams  Express  Co        

Freight  charges  

30.05 

25 
31 

74 
82 

Geo.  W.  Davis  

Traveling  expenses  
Services  January,  1889  .... 

32.60 
165.  00 

31 

85 

Charles  D  Poston 

Services,  Dec.  29,  1888,  to  Jan.  31,  1889. 

50.00 

Feb.     2 

101 

C  E  Dutton         

Traveling  expenses  

82.  15 

4 
4 
11 

113 
118 
144 

Chicago,  Santa  F6  and  California  Rwy 
Western  Union  Telegraph  Co  
Quartermaster's  Dep't  U  S  Army 

Transportation  of  assistants  
Telegrams  
Fisld  material            

10.25 
6.70 
834.72 

18 

165 

E.  S  Ritchie  &  Sons      

Instruments      

150.  00 

18 

168 

Herman  Baumgarten  

Supplies  

3.00 

28 

193 

William  Ham  Hall  

Services,  Jan.  7  to  Feb.  16,  1889  

425.  00 

28 

195 

Atchison  Topeka  and  Santa  F6  R.  R 

Transportation  of  assistants  

159.  15 

Mar     1 

204 

25.90 

Feb.   28 
Mar.     6 

217 
236 

Pay-roll  of  employes  
Denver  and  Rio  Grande  R  R 

Services,  February.  1  889  
Transportation  of  assistants    

165.00 
18.00 

7 

240 

United  Lines  Telegraph  Co  

Telegrams  

.68 

7 

248 

Western  Union  Telegraph  Co 

do                                      

7.34 

13 

257 

Baltimore  and  Ohio  R  R        

Transportation  of  assistants  

68.00 

13 

263 

Henry  J.  Green  

Instruments  

960.40 

13 

265 

William  Ballantyne  &  Son 

6.40 

13 

267 

Missouri  Pacific  Rwy      

Transportation  of  assistants  

55.50 

13 

269 

Adams  Express  Co  ... 

Freieht  .  . 

47.35 

ABSTRACT   OF    DISBURSEMENTS. 


113 


Abstract  of  disbursements  made  by  Jno.  D.  McChesney.  etc. — Continued. 


Date 
of  pay- 
ment. 

No.  of 
voucher. 

To  whom  paid. 

For  what  paid. 

Amount. 

1889. 
Mar    22 

270 

Wash  B  Williams 

Miscellaneous  supplies  

$12.00 

23 

280 

109.95 

23 

281 

Geo  W  Knox 

30 

303 

Services  March  25  to  31  ,  1889  

.33.  87 

30 

313 

Pay-roll  of  employed        

Services,  March,  1889  

220.32 

Total  

5,109.41 

Abstract  of  disbursements  made  by  P.  H.  Christie,  special  disbursing  agent,  U.  S. 
Geological  Survey,  during  the  third  quarter  of  1889. 


Date 
of  pay- 
ment. 

*J 

0  3 
fcg 

To  whom  paid. 

For  what  paid. 

Amount. 

1889. 
Jan.     7 
7 
14 
14 
14 
18 
18 
18 
18 
21 
26 
26 
26 
26 
26 
26 
28 
31 
31 
Feb.     1 
4 
5 
6 
7 
7 
7 
8 
8 
9 
12 
13 
13 
13 
18 
18 
21 
21 
22 
25 
28 
28 
28 
28 
28 
28 
28 
28 
28 
Mar.  13 
13 
13 
21 
31 
31 
31 

1 

2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
30 
31 
32 
33 
34 
35 
36 
37 
38 
39 
40 
41 
42 
43 
44 
45 
46 
47 
48 
49 
50 
51 
52 
53 
54 
55 

Frank  Harrison       .             

Traveling  expenses  

$51.75 
148.00 
100.30 
15.90 
63.47 
16.45 
12.45 
35.10 
34.30 
28.70 
50.30 
79.00 
40.71 
66.13 
372.00 
275.00 
56.50 
1,380.84 
15.00 
26.75 
27.48 
6.37 
55.00 
46.00 
33.00 
9.00 
51.30 
8.37 
53.63 
99.10 
14.40 
22.45 
86.84 
150.81 
50.00 
90.00 
60.00 
20.20 
52.82 
140.00 
125.00 
956.66 
125.00 
109.55 
18.50 
11.30 
83.07 
130.16 
3.00 
75.56 
2.25 
177.59 
1,308.  11 
30.00 
12  90 

Nettlelon  &  Campbell 

C.  E.  Dutton  . 

Traveling  expenses     

W.  A.  Farish  

do         

Robert  Robinson  

do  

Frank  P.  Fisher        .                

...  do 

P.  H.  Christie  

do    ....             

do.     ... 

W.  A.  McKenzie                                  

Miscellaneous  field  supplies 

G.  W.  Bond  &  Bro                 

Forage                  

Wm.  Malboeuf  

Field  material  

A.  C  Schmidt 

..do                                          ..   .. 

R.  C.  Stewart  

Field  supplies 

Jas.  W.  Queen  &  Co  

Instruments,  etc.             

W.  &  L.  E.  Gurley  

do  

Hugh  Loudon  

Mules 

Plaza  Hotel  

Subsistence     .                                ... 

Pay-roll 

Services  January  1889 

C.  W.  Taylor                                     

Office  supplies 

L.  C.  Rice  

Field  supplies 

The  Denver  Fire  Clay  Co  

do  

Mequillett  &  Macrum  

do  

Hermann  H.  Heiser  

Field  material 

W.  E.  Scott  &  Co  

do 

R.  W.  Stuart  &  Co  

do  

Hermann  H.  Heiser      

do 

The  Scbiff-Carlston  Grocery  Co  
Mequillett  &  Macrum  

Subsistence  supplies 

Field  supplies                              

Chas.  H.  Smith  

Subsistence  

Geo.  T.  Quinby                  

Field  expenses 

J.  B.  Williams  

Traveling  expenses 

P.  H.  Christie  

do  

P.  H.  Christie                 

F.  H.  Newell  

do  

W.  &  L.  E.  Gurley  

Instruments 

Wall  &  Pursel  
Hermann  H.  Heiser  

Field  material  
do  

Geo.  T.  Quinby  

Traveling  expenses 

Geo  T  Quinby 

P.  H.  Christie  

Services  February  1889 

Pay-roll  

do 

do  

do 

do  

do 

H.  B.  Cartwright  &  Co  

Subsistence  supplies 

Palace  Hotel  
R.  S.  Tarr  

Subsistence  

W.  A.  McKenzie 

R.  S.  Tarr  

P.  H.  Christie  

do 

do  

Gore,  Janney  &  Co  

F.  H.  Newell  

Field  expenses 

Pay-roll  

Services,  March,  1889 

Draper  Manufacturing  Co  

Harold  M.  Dyar  

Services  March  1889 

Total  

7,114.07 

10  GEOL.,  PT.  2 8 


IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 


Abstract  of  disbursements  made  by  Mark  B.  Kerr,  disbursing  agent,  U.  S.  Geolog- 
ical Survey,  during  the  third  quarter  of  1889. 


Date 
of  pay- 
ment. 

No.  of 
voucher. 

To  whom  paid. 

For  what  paid. 

Amount. 

1889. 
Jan.    3 

1 

R  H  Chapman       

$43  94 

4 

2 

L.  G.  Stepnenson      

.  .    do 

54  00 

4 

3 

Robt.  Muldrow  

do.  ..  . 

152  25 

4 

4 

E.  M.  Douglas  

do.  ... 

87  40 

5 

6 

Redick  H.  McKee    .  

do 

131  25 

7 

12 

Josiah  Pierce,  jr  

do 

107  75 

15 

13 

do  

Field  expenses 

19  87 

15 

14 

H.  M.  Wilson  

Traveling  expenses 

107  75 

15 
15 

15 
16 

G.E.Verrffl  
H.  D.  Bushnell  

Field  expenses  
Traveling  expenses 

37.61 
21  75 

15 

18 

Mark  B.  Kerr  

....  do  .... 

69  20 

28 

19 

Pay-roll    

823  20 

82 

21 

Western  Union  Telegraph  Co  

Telegrams     

6  28 

28 

23 

H.  M.  Wilson  

Field  expenses 

298  00 

28 

24 

Philip  Sawyer  

Traveling  expenses 

18  50 

28 

25 

do  .  .                   .... 

6  85 

28 

27 

G.E.Verrill.             

98  50 

28 

29 

Arthur  P.  Davis  .  . 

Field  expenses 

82  76 

28 

30 

do  

do    .  .  . 

19.  a") 

28 

31 

do..  ..                          .... 

18  50 

28 

32 

R.  Henry  Phillips         

Services  December  1888 

84  20 

28 

33 

Pay-roll  

...    do 

839.95 

29 

38 

W.  A.  McKenzie  

Field  material 

53.70 

29 

39 

Isador  Ferron  

Forage  

20.00 

29 

40 

D.  T,,  Snmimiss 

do 

23  66 

29 

43 

Amos  Snott  .  .  .  .  .                .      .          ,  , 

Services  December  1888 

60  00 

29 

44 

Reaser  Bros  

Forage 

18.50 

29 

45 

Geo.  Chase  

Repairs  etc                .      . 

•M.  75 

29 

46 

Kauzenbach  &  Habuland  

Subsistence,  etc  . 

23.58 

29 

47 

Arthur  Bishoff 

Field  subsistence 

9.70 

31 

54 

Pay-roll  (office)      

Services  January  1889 

1,311.40 

31 

55 

do  

do.  .  .'.'  

258.30 

31 

56 

Pay-roll  (Davis)  

do  

394.  16 

31 

57 

Pay-roll  (Johnson)  

do  

950.00 

Feb.  15 

63 

A.  H.  Thompson  .  .       .       .              ... 

Traveling  expenses 

195.  95 

26 

70 

R.  H.  Chapman  

Field  expenses 

3.00 

26 

71 

Henry  Vilas   

Traveling  expenses 

11.70 

26 

72 

do  

do  

66.70 

27 

73 

Willard  D  Johnson  .   .   . 

Field  expenses 

275.15 

27 

76 

Reaser  Bros  

Subsistence  etc 

107.08 

27 

77 

F.  G.  Pratt  &  Co  

,lo  

18.62 

27 

78 

Stuart  &  McNair  

....do...  

33.22 

27 

79 

McClutcheon,  Payne  &  Co  

Forage  

38.03 

27 

80 

Adolph  Lea     

do 

9.00 

27 

81 

Isaac  N.  Hoger  

Pasturage,  January  1889 

26.88 

27 

82 

do  

Pasturage,  February,  188'J 

52.50 

28 

86 

Pay-roll  (Phillips) 

Services  February  1889 

277.80 

28 

87 

Pay-roll  <  office)         

.  ..do        

1,386.60 

28 

89 

do  

...  do        .   .       .                        

233.40 

Mar.    5 

91 

Amos  Scott            

60.00 

5 

92 

...  do       .     . 

Services  February  188!) 

60.00 

5 

93 

A.  J.  Newman  

Pasturage 

14.20 

5 

94 

Willard  D.  Johnson  

Traveling  expenses. 

16.70 

5 

95 

Pay-roll  (Johnson      .                  .  . 

Services  February  1889 

875.40 

5 

1)6 

R.  Henry  Phillips                .  .          

Field  expenses 

19.80 

9 

102 

W.  &  L.  E.  Gurley  

Instruments  

26.95 

9 

103 

R.  Henry  Phillips  

Field  expenses  

26.17 

9 

104 

John  W.  Hayes    .                   

do 

468.62 

9 

105 

do 

5  85 

19 

106 

Willard  D.  Johnson  

Field  expenses  

30.08 

19 

107 

Isaiah  Prendell 

Forage 

67.  50 

19 

108 

J.  &  J  Raycraf  t        

50.00 

19 

110 

John  W.  Hayes  

Field  expenses  

24.25 

23 

112 

Marchey  Kelley                            .  . 

Services  January  23-30  1889 

20.00 

23 

113 

McClutcheon  Payne  &  Co        

Forage                  

32.  14 

23 

114 

do    

.  .  .  .  do  

7.49 

23 

115 

Stuart  &  McNair  

Subsistence  

24.62 

23 

116 

C.  V  Mead      

do                                       ... 

18.45 

23 

117 

Eugene  Moreno  

Forage        

13.50 

23 

118 

R  Henry  Phillips 

37.53 

31 

122 

Pay-roll  (office) 

1,767.50 

31 

124 

do  

.do                                      

58.  07 

31 

125 

Pay-roll  (Phillips)  

do  

286.10 

31 

126 

Amos  Scott  

do                .  .           

60.00 

31 

128 

H.  C'.  Daugberg  .... 

Pasturage    

198.  00 

31 

129 

Jacob  Klein 

15.00 

31 

130 

Thomas  Clements 

15.00 

31 

131 

102  00 

Tutal  .  . 

13,409.06 

ABSTRACT    OF   DISBURSEMENTS. 


115 


Abstract  of  disbursements  made  by  Anton  Karl,  special  disbursing  agent,  U.  S. 
Geological  Survey,  during  the  third  quarter  of  1889. 


Date 
of  pay- 
ment. 

No.  of 
voucher. 

To  whom  paid. 

For  what  paid. 

Amount. 

1889. 
Jan    18 

1 

Arthur  P  Davis    .... 

Transportation  and  subsistence  .... 

•SR-)  89 

3 

2 

John  Parker  

do  

4.00 

X!3 

3 

Willard  D  Johnson 

..   .do                 ...          

291  06 

xT> 

4 

J  W  Hays      

Field  supplies  ....        

297.05 

25 

5 

do 

Subsistence             .          .... 

113  57 

Mar    30 

7 

Field  material                  

5  76 

Feb      2 

g 

Win  Noedel     .  .                     

Subsistence  

132.  53 

2 

9 

A  E  Laudenslager   

do  

59.67 

2 

10 

VanArsdell  &  Co 

Field  material    

47.19 

2 

U 

Geo  W  Bond  &  Bro 

19  16 

2 

12 

j  \v  Miller 

Field  material    ....                

51  02 

2 

13 

Mauley  L  Hart                                .  .  . 

Services  December  1-24,  1888  

38.71 

2 

14 

F  Geo  Pratt  &  Co 

28  18 

2 

15 

L  B  Putney  

Field  material  

21.49 

2 

16 

J  J  Shumway 

Services  January  21  to  31  ,  1889  

17.74 

2 

17 

G  W  Bond  &  Bro 

14  53 

Mar    30 

18 

Field  expenses      .           .        

270  00 

30 

19 

Samuel  A  Foot 

Services  

4.73 

30 

20 

W  N  Eminert  

Subsistence  

20.65 

Total                .  .                  .        . 

1,522.93 

Abstract  of  disbursements  made  by  John  D.  McOhesney,  chief  disbursing  clerk,  U. 
S.  Geological  Survey,  during  the  fourth  quarter  of  1889. 


Date  of 
pay- 
ment. 

No.  of 
voucher. 

To  whom  paid. 

For  what  paid. 

Amount. 

1889. 
April  11 
11 
22 
22 
22 
29 
29 
29 
30 
May    4 
4 
18 
18 
18 
18 
18 
21 
21 
23 
29 
31 
31 
June    4 
4 
5 
5 

12 
17 
21 
22 
27 
27 
29 
29 
29 

9 
11 
24 
26 
28 
46 
52 
61 
78 
95 
105 
143 
144 
147 
149 
155 
161 
162 
181 
190 
217 
226 
239 
242 
246 
248 

292 
316 
327 
328 
341 
342 
364 
374 
384 

J.  Schultzbach  

Supplies  

$474.00 
3.87 
163.90 
35.60 
27.75 
57.30 
30.00 
24.65 
320.00 
30.00 
6.43 
166.00 
3.00 
136.85 
24.96 
79.00 
17.80 
92.70 
380.00 
140.11 
5.85 
372.  50 
22.65 
9.96 
101).  00 
269.32 

18.15 
14.50 
45.10 
36.00 
15.00 
8.25 
100.00 
69.20 
572.50 

Western  Union  Telegraph  Co  

Telegrams  February  1889 

Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa  Fe  R.  R. 
Denver  and  Rio  Grande  R.  R  

Transportation  of  assistants 

do  

Chicago  and  Alton  R  R    

do  

Geo  Ryneal,  jr      

Supplies  ... 

Crane  &  Co    

Irrigation  supplies  

Adams  Express  Co  

Freight  charges  

Pay-roll  of  employSs            

Services.  April,  1889    .  . 

J.  S.  Topham  

Field  Material  

Western  Union  Telegraph  Co 

Telegrams 

Geo  Ryneal  jr     

Topographic  supplies 

E  W  Woodruff  

Irrigation  supplies  

Alvah  Bushnell 

Irrigation  supplies 

Fred  A  Schmidt     

Supplies 

Denver  and  Rio  Grande  R.  R  

Transportation  of  assistants 

United  States  Express  Co 

Lyman  Bridges     

Services,  April  2  to  May  14,  1889.  .  .  . 
Services,  May  15  to  May  31,  1889.  .  .  . 

dp  

Montana  Central  Rwy. 

Pay-roll  of  employes 

Services,  May,  1889  

Western  Union  Telegraph  Co    
Columbia  Phonograph  Co      

Telegrams,  April,  1889  

Irrigation  supplies   

Josiah  Pierce,  jr                         

Salary,  May,  1889  

Quartermaster's  Department,  U.  S. 
Army. 
Burlington  and  Missouri  River  R.  R.  . 
Castle  &  Henshaw          

Freight  charges  

Irrigation  material     .   . 

Pennsylvania  R.  R    

Transportation  of  assistants 

S.  J.  Haislett  
Z.  D  Gilman    

Field  material  
Supplies         

Josiah  Pierce,  jr  
Paul  Holman              

Services,  June,  1889  
do  

Pay-roll  of  employes  

do  

Total    

3,872.90 

116 


IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 


Abstract  of  disbursements  made  by  P.  H.  Christie,  disbursing  agent,  U,  S.  Geolog- 
ical Survey,  during  the  fourth  quarter  of  1889. 


Date  of 
pay- 
ment. 

No.  of 
voucher. 

To  whom  paid. 

For  what  paid 

Amount. 

1889. 
April  18 

1 

L.  I).  Hopson  

Traveling  expenses  

%->9  HO 

18 

2 

J  B  Williams  

do  

36  80 

19 

3 

William  P.  Trowbridge,  jr  

do  

47  22 

19 

4 

do  "  .'.".  

Field  expenses                   

11.  35 

19 

5 

W.  &  L  E.  Gurley  

Instruments 

197  20 

19 

6 

F.  H.  Newell  

Field  expenses 

106  16 

30 

W.  &  L.  E.  Gurley  

Instruments         .          .  .              .... 

195.  00 

29 

8 

R.  W.  Stewart  &  Co  

Field  supplies  

88.67 

29 

9 

Lallie  &  Bailey  

Instruments 

100  00 

29 

10 

E.  S.  Ritchie  &  Sons  

do  

250  00 

30 

11 

Pay-roll,  April,  1889     

Services 

125  00 

May     3 

12 

Robert  Robertson  

Traveling  expeLses 

63  40 

3 

13 

do    

127  92 

6 

14 

J.  B.  Williams    

Traveling  expenses 

93  00 

April  30 

15 

Pay-roll,  April,  1889    

Services  .  .  . 

731  32 

May     6 
April  30 
SO 

16 

17 

18 

Harold  M.  Dyar  
R.  S.  Tarr,  April,  1889  
P.  H.  Christie  

Traveling  expenses  
Services  
...  do 

67.70 
75.00 
148  30 

May    7 

19 

The  Schiff-Carleton  Grocery  Co  

Subsistence  supplies 

35.20 

8 

20 

G.W.  Bond  &  Bro  '  

Field  supplies  

42.32 

8 

21 

George  E.  Curtis  

Field  expenses 

286  62 

10 

22 

Cartwright  &  Griswold  

Field  supplies  ... 

8.50 

8 

23 

Denver  and  Rio  Grande  R.  R.  Co  

Transportation            

121.54 

10 

24 

W.  A.  McKenzie  

Field  supplies.  .                  

40.91 

10 

25 

F.  C.  Ductscher  

do 

8  50 

10 

26 

George  T.  Quinby  

Traveling  expenses 

14.22 

10 

27 

do  

73  66 

April  30 

28 

Frank  Harrison,  April,  1889  

Services  

75.00 

30 

29 

Frederick  H.  Newell,  April,  1889  .   . 

do 

125  00 

30 

30 

T.  M.  Bannon,  April,  1889  

do                              

50.00 

May  13 

31 

Palace  Hotel        

15  63 

14 

32 

J.  W.  Mitchell  

Traveling  expenses 

13  75 

15 

33 

Lallie  &  Bailey  

Instruments 

300.00 

20 

34 

R.  S.  Tarr  

Subsistence                    .   . 

35.00 

24 
24 

35 
36 

F.  H.  Newell  
do  

Traveling  expenses  
Field  expenses 

34.50 
164.60 

24 

37 

F.  M.  Bannon    

Traveling  expenses                    .... 

55.  75 

June  30 

110 

Lyman  Bridges  

.  .  .  do  

125.75 

30 

111 

Frank  Harrison  

Field  expenses 

219  37 

30 

112 

B.  J.  Briggs  

Field  material          .        .... 

125.00 

30 

113 

J.  B.  Williams,  June,  1889  

Services                

100.00 

•     30 

114 

R  S  Tan-           

Field  expenses 

8  62 

30 

115 

Pay-roll,  June,  1889  

Services 

466.  66 

30 

116 

Douglas  Taylor  

...  do 

34.  50 

30 

11? 

William  M  Welch 

do 

34  50 

30 

118 

H  M  Wilson  

do 

197.80 

30 

11') 

P  H  Christie 

19  55 

30 

120 

William  P  Trowbridge,  jr 

Field  expenses 

37.00 

30 

121 

Pay-roll  [Foote],  June,  1889  

Services 

281.75 

30 

122 

do  

do  

161.99 

30 

123 

William  Gilbert 

do 

50  00 

30 

124 

Harold  M  Dyar         

do 

50.00 

30 

125 

Lallie  &  Bailey  

Instruments  .... 

212.00 

30 

126 

P  H  Christie 

Field  expenses 

93  69 

30 

127 

William  Ham  Hall.  May,  1889 

Services 

186.81 

30 

128 

William  Ham  Hall,  June,  1889  

....do  .                                     

329.70 

30 

129 

30  95 

30 

130 

Curt  W  Miller,  June,  1889  ... 

Services  .  . 

20.00 

30 

131 

H  M  Wilson     .  T.              .     .             

Field  expenses 

46.62 

30 

132 

do    

....  do    

8.60 

30 

133 

do 

Traveling  expenses 

43  <50 

30 

134 

do                         

Field  expenses 

100.15 

30 

135 

L  D  Hopson      

do    .   .        

33.84 

30 

136 

George  T.  Quinby  

do  

237.  05 

30 

137 

J.  B.Williams  

do  

48.49 

30 

138 

Rich  Shumway,  June,  1889          .   ... 

Services 

50.00 

30 

139 

Goldman  &  Co  

Field  supplies      

27.97 

30 

140 

Field  expenses 

4.00 

30 

141 

R  S  TaiT 

...  do 

5.25 

30 

142 

A  J.Wiley      

....do               .                  

39.  33 

30 

143 

George  T.  Quinby  

do  

8.60 

30 

144 

W  A  Farish  .  . 

do 

119.71 

30 

145 

F  H  Newell    

Traveling  expenses            

58.  115 

30 

146 

do 

44.12 

30 

147 

Robert  Robertson 

Services,  June,  1889  "             

75.  00 

30 

148 

R  P  Irwin  

.  ..do    .        

50.00 

30 

30 

149 
150 

W.  A.  McKenzie    .  .-  
L  II  Shortt           

Field  supplies  
Field  expenses     

7.00 
4.75 

30 

151 

do 

75.  97 

30 

152 

E.  S.  Nettleton.  Mav.  IKS'.)  .  .  . 

Services.  .  . 

186.81 

ABSTRACT    OF   DISBURSEMENTS.  117 

Abstract  of  disbursements  made  by  P.  H.  Christie,  etc. — Continued. 


Date 
of  pay- 
ment. 

No.  of 
voucher. 

To  whom  paid. 

For  what  paid. 

Amount. 

1889. 
June  30 

153 

J.J.Rogers  

Field  material       .             .        

$22  75 

30 

154 

E.  S.  Nettleton,  June,  1889  

Services  

329.70 

30 

155 

Joseph  Werlin  

Forage                                         .  .   . 

12  00 

30 

156 

S.H.Bodflsh  

Field  expenses            

45.98 

30 

157 

Wall  &  Pursel 

Field  material 

230  00 

30 

158 

Edward  F  Vincent,  June,  1889    

Services 

10  00 

30 

159 

E.  S.  Nettleton  '  '.  

Traveling  expenses  

21  15 

30 

160 

W  W  Sargeant  June  1889        .     ... 

Services 

16  00 

30 

161 

W.  L.  Wilson            

do 

20  00 

30 

162 

J  A  Green 

do 

5  00 

30 

163 

J  W  Nelson 

..do 

4  50 

30 

164 

L.  H.  Friend  

do  

5  00 

30 

165 

A.  W.  Ralston  

do  

2.33 

30 

166 

S  H  Bodflsh  .            .   .                 

Traveling  expenses 

83  25 

30 

167 

E  S.  Nettleton  

Field  expenses  ...             ... 

63  20 

30 

168 

W  W  Montague  &  Co 

Field  material 

72  14 

30 

169 

R  W  Neil    

do  

82  25 

30 

170 

James  Smiford              

Field  supplies  .... 

17  45 

Total  .  . 

18.004.92 

Abstract  of  disbursements  made  by  Mark  B.  Kerr,  disbursing  agent,  U.  S.  Geolog- 
ical Survey,  during  the  fourth  quarter  of  1890. 


Date  of 
pay- 
ment. 

No.  of 
voucher. 

To  whom  paid. 

For  what  paid. 

Amount. 

1889. 
Apr.  [10 
15 
15 
15 
18 
18 
18 
18 
18 
18 
18 
18 
18 
18 
24 
24 
25 
25 
25 
30 
30 
30 
30 
May    1 
11 
11 
11 
13 
16 
22 
23 
23 
23 
23 
23 
23 
23 
23 
23 
29 
31 
31 
31 
31 
31 
31 
June  29 

9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
23 
31 
32 
33 
34 
35 
40 
41 
43 
44 
45 
46 
57 
58 
59 
61 
64 
66 
67 
68 
69 
70 
71 
72 
73 
74 
75 
78 
79 
87 
89 
90 
91 
94 

John  W  Hayes 

Field  expenses 

1463.44 
3.80 
4.15 
93.95 
917.  60 
755.00 
180.00 
250.00 
125.00 
7.58 
22.22 
30.58 
52.50 
23.20 
413.  99 
200.33 
20.35 
300.00 
90.00 
1,868.35 
60.00 
19.15 
282.40 
19.00 
537.60 
33.55 
14.00 
69.10 
455.40 
135.  85 
24.05 
33.90 
18.25 
39.70 
41.98 
54.75 
94.60 
102.25 
164.08 
7.25 
25.00 
1,024.60 
170.40 
102.20 
255  50 

J  W  Dobbins                              

Traveling  expenses 

S  S.  Mitchell                 

do 

Willard  D.  Johnson  

Field  expenses 

Pay-roll  of  employes            

Services  March  1889 

M  Studjuski            

Field  material 

W.  H.  Hyde  

do      

William  H.  Anderson  

do  

F.  E.  M.  Jayne  

do  

do  do  ... 

Martin  Tolman     .     .          

Forage 

Isaac  N.  Hogan  
E  M  Douglas                                  

Pasturage  

Willard  D.  Johnson  

Field  expenses  

do                 

do 

R.  Henry  Phillips  

do  

J  B  Hamilton             .   .          

Two  horses 

W  H  Hyde  

One  wagon 

Services  April  18811 

Amos  Scott  

do  ... 

Pay-roll  of  employes  

Services,  April,  1889 

C  H  Fitch                            

Pay-roll  of  employes  

Services  April  1889 

McCutcheon,  Payne  &  Co  

Forage  ...          ...                  

Stuart  &  McNair     .  .  . 

R.  H.  Chapman       .            .  .         

Traveling  expenses 

E.  M  Douglas                          

Traveling  expenses 

Daniel  M  Adams  ...               

do  

C  H  Fitch 

do 

Robert  J  Breckenridge             

..do 

P.  V.  S  Bartlett        

Field  expenses  

R  H  Phillips 

do 

H.  M  Wilson                             

do                      .                     ..  . 

R.  C.  McKinney      

Traveling  expenses    ...                .... 

G.  E.  Verrill  

do.  ".  .  .  .*.  

Mark  B.  Kerr  

do  

....  do               

Field  expenses  

Services  May  1889 

do  

do  

H  M  Wilson    

do  

R  H  Chapman  

...do... 

do 

..   ..  do  ...       

153.40 
233.85 

William  H  Hyde 

Field  material 

Total  .  . 

9,  993.  90 

118 


IRRIGATION    SURVEY FIRST    ANNUAL    REPORT. 


SUPPLEMENTAL,  JUNE  30,  1889. 

Abstract  of  disbursements  made  by  Jno.  D,  McChesney,  chief  disbursing  clerk,  U.  S. 
Geological  Survey,  during  the  first  quarter  of  1890. 


Date  of 
pay- 
ment. 

«M§3 

o,3 

*I 

To  whom  paid. 

For  what  paid. 

Amount. 

1889. 
July  10 

13 

John  C.  Parker  

Supplies,  etc 

$5  90 

11 

20 

Fauth  &  Co  

Irrigation  instruments 

2  900  00 

18 

66 

Denver  and  Rio  Grande  R.  R  

Transportation  of  assistants 

34  25 

18 

67 

Atlantic  and  Pacific  R.  R  

...     do 

28  05 

20 

95 

Maricopa  and  Phoenix  R.  R  

Freight  

.52 

22 

100 

John  T<\  Pqrftt  

Supplies 

23  55 

22 

121 

Quartermaster's  Department,  U.  S. 

Material  

91.21 

31 

129 

Army. 
Northern  Pacific  R.  R  .  . 

Transportation  of  assistants 

19  45 

31 

130 

Baltimore  and  Ohio  R.  R  

do  

28.00 

Aug.    1 

146 

Robert  Boyd  

Supplies  

3  83 

147 

TRiomas  Riggs  .... 

Services 

7  50 

3 

150 

Royce  &  Marean  

Supplies 

1  80 

3 

157 

Western  Union  Telegraph  Co  

Telegrams 

4  12 

3 

163 

do  

do  

3.01 

6 

165 

Utah  Central  Rwy  

Transportation  of  assistants 

1  50 

6 

168 

Idaho  Central  R.  R  

Freight 

8  27 

7 

7 

171 

177 

George  Ryneal,  jr  

Adq,ms  Kxprpss  C<"> 

Material  and  supplies  
Freight  April  1889 

.    318.99 
10  70 

7 

178 

do  ..."  

Freight,  March  1889 

7  25 

10 

182 

Northern  Pacific  R.  R  

Transportation  of  assistants 

41.70 

15 

187 

Denver  and  Rio  Grande  R.  R  

do  

139.  85 

15 

191 

Arthur  Watts  

Field  supplies 

49  00 

15 

192 

Sparks  Bros  

Forage  

59.60 

19 

195 

Adams  Express  Co 

Expressage  May  1889 

70  95 

19 

198 

Idaho  Central  R.  R  

Transportation  of  assistants 

1  00 

19 

201 

Denver  and  Rio  Grande  R.  R  .  . 

do    . 

51.90 

19 

204 

do 

Freight 

1  20 

20 

207 

Western  Union  Telegraph  Co 

Telegrams  May  and  June,  1889 

51  47 

21 

215 

Columbia  Phonograph  Co 

Rent,  April  1  to  June  30  1889 

10.00 

21 
21 

216 
217 

Alvah  Bushnell  
<  !olora  o  Midland  Rwy  

Irrigation  supplies  
Transportation  of  assistants  

24.90 

8.00 

22 

220 

E.  Morrison  .... 

Supplies 

3  50 

22 

221 

John  Roach  

Repairs  to  field  material 

15.50 

Sept.  12 
13 

246 
248 

Colorado  Midland  Rwy  
Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rwy 

Transportat.on  of  assistants  
do 

7.05 
413  40 

14 

249 

Adams  Express  Co  .  .  . 

Freight  charges,  June,  1889 

184.80 

16 

250 

Fred.  A.  Schmidt  

Irrigation  supplies  

12.00 

19 

252 

Daniel  M.  Adams  

Services,  May  1  to  15,  1889  

24.19 

26 

254 

Willard  D.  Johnson 

Field  expenses 

225.4? 

30 

255 

John  W.  Hayes  

do  

342.02 

30 

257 

J  W  Powell 

Traveling  expenses 

66  75 

30 

258 

Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa  F6  R.  R 

Transportation  of  assistants 

57.50 

•    30 

259 

W  &  L  E  Gurley 

2  158  00 

Total 

7,  518.  31 

Abstract  of  disbursements  made  by  Jno.  D.  McChesney,  chief  disbursing  clerk,  U. 
S.  Geological  Survey,  during  the  second  quarter  of  1890. 


Date 
of  pay- 
ment. 

No.  of 
voucher. 

To  whom  paid. 

For  what  paid. 

Amount. 

1889. 
Oct.    23 

7 

Henry  J  Green 

Instruments            .   . 

$60  62 

31 

8 

C.  J.  Jones       

Traveling  expenses           

4.50 

Nov.    8 

23 

Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa  F6  R.  R 

Transportation  of  assistants  

126.  31 

11 
12 

24 
25 

Adams  Express  Co  
Paul  Holman 

Freight  
Traveling  expenses           

6.80 
39.00 

19 

30 

Baltimore  and  Ohio  R  R    

Freight    

8.58 

Dec.    7 

34 

(JO                                           

10.95 

14 

38 

Willard  D  Johnson 

Field  expenses                 

129.99 

14 

39 

...do  ... 

do        

1C3.85 

14 

40 

do 

do                              

83.65 

ir 

42 

Chesapeake  and  Ohio  R.  R  

Transportation  of  assistants  

69.95 

Total 

644.20 

ABSTRACT    OF    DISBURSEMENTS. 


119 


Abstract  of  disbursements  made  by  Mark  B.  Kerr,  disbursing  agent,  U.  S.  Geolog- 
ical Survey,  during  the  first  and  second  quarters  of  1890. 


Date 
of  pay- 
ment. 

No.  of 
voucher. 

To  whom  paid. 

For  what  paid. 

Amount. 

1889. 
July  30 

1 

Wells  Fargo  &  Co  

Expressage  

$50  70 

Oct    26 

2 

Services  May,  1889 

25  81 

Nov     1 

4 

A  T  Kyle  jr 

Pasturage  

•10  84 

Total          

87.35 

Abstract  of  disbursements  made  by  P.  H.  Christie,  special  disbursing  agent,  U.  S. 
Geological  Survey,  during  the  first  quarter  of  1890. 


Date 
of  pay- 
ment. 

No.  of 
voucher. 

To  whom  paid. 

For  what  paid. 

Amount. 

1889. 
July  20 

1 

Robert  Robertson                     

Traveling  expenses 

$43  95 

20 

2 

...  do             

Field  expenses 

257  87 

24 
26 

3 

4 

T.E.  Parish  
A.J.Wiley  

Services,  June,  1889  .-  
Field  expenses  

100.00 
13  38 

26 

5 

J  W  Mitchell        

do 

19  34 

31 

6 

S  W  Pomeroy  

Hire  of  transportation 

15  50 

31 

7 

Field  expenses 

35  35 

Aug    10 

a 

Royce  and  Mareau               ... 

Instruments 

75  00 

10 

9 

W  &  L  E  Gurley             

do 

394  33 

10 

10 

H  M  Wilson 

53  55 

10 

U 

Bach  Cory  &  Co 

Field  supplies 

87  21 

Sept  13 

12 

L  H  Shoitt     

Field  expenses 

10  75 

19 

13 

George  E.  Curtis  

Traveling  expenses. 

9  90 

19 

14 

do  

do  

143  05 

30 

15 

C  H  Treat.                

Instruments 

18  07 

Total  

1  277  25 

Amount  expended  as  per  foregoing  statement $98, 068. 77 

Amount  of  bonded  railroad  accounts  for  freight  and  passenger  transportation  settled 

through  the  Treasury  Department 1 , 799. 69 

Balance  on  hand 131. 54 


Total 100, 000. 00 


INDEX. 


Page. 

Abstract  of  total  disbursements 108-119 

Ahern,  Jeremiah,  work  of 40 

American  River,  work  on 42 

Appropriation  recommended  for  irrigation 

survey,  first  year's  work 14 

Areas  surveyed 58-60 

Arid  lands,  mode  of  acquirement  of 28 

Arid  region,  area  and  character  of 4,9,10,13 

Area  surveyed  to  March,  1888 8 

Characteristics  of  rivers  of 25 

Arkansas  River,  work  on 18, 19, 24, 40, 43, 

45,69,86,93,98 

Arkansas  River  Division,  reservoir  sites  sur- 
veyed in 58 

Canal  lines  surveyed  in 58 

Work  of. 93 

Bannon.T.  M.,  work  of 86 

Bear  River,  irrigable  land  selected  for  segre- 
gation        65 

Bien,  Morris,  work  of 40, 68 

Bodfish.S.  H.,  work  of 93,94,95,97 

Box  Elder  Creek,  work  on 69 

Brodie,  A.  O.,  work  of 46 

Bridges,  Lyman,  work  of 47, 105 

California,  work  in 42, 66, 68, 76, 102, 104 

Reservoir  sites  selected  in 61-62 

California  Division,  work  of 47, 102, 104 

Canal  lines  surveyed 46,58,60 

Canal  sites,  discovery  of 34 

Carson  River,  Nevada,  work  on 18,42,43,47, 

87,88,104,105 

Chama  River,  New  Mexico,  work  on 19,41,43 

Chapman,  R.  H. ,  work  of 42, 65, 67, 72, 77 

Christie,  P.  H.,  disbursements  by 112, 113, 

116,117,119 

Clear  Lake,  California,  work  at 103, 104 

Climatology ' 56 

Colorado  appropriates  money  for  stream- 
gauging 43 

Colorado,  work  in 18, 40, 62, 66, 68-71 , 77, 93-98 

Reservoir  sites  selected  in 62 

Colorado  Division,  work  of 45-46 

Columbia  River,  Montana,  work  on. 17 

Commissioner  of  General  Land  Office,  letter        3 
Congress  authorizes  irrigation  survey  ;  res- 
olution           2 

Congress  inquires  concerning  segregation  of 

lands,  etc 4 

Cosumne  River,  work  on 42, 102 

Curtis,  G.  E.,  work  of 44,83,84 

Davis,  A.  P.,  work  of 19,41,65,72,77 


Page. 

Director  of  the  Geological  Survey,  letters . .     4, 9, 

15,38 

Disbursements,  abstract  of 108-119 

Donner  Lake,  Nevada 105, 106 

Douglas,  E.  M.,  work  of 17,42,65,67,71,77 

Dunnington,  A.  F.,  work  of 42,65,66,67 

Dutton,  C.  E.,  chief  engineer  of  irrigation 

survey,  work  of 20,43,45 

Letter  of  instructions  to 51-55 

Report  of 78-108 

Duty  of  water 11,20,57,79 

Dyar,  H.  M.,  work  of 86 

El  Paso,  dam  at 46, 100 

Engineering  problems  stated 51 

Engineering  survey,  work  of 87, 45-48 

Engineering  work,  irrigation  survey,  report 

of 78-108 

Espafiola  Valley,  work  in 46 

Evaporation 11,21,56,82,85 

Farish,  W.  A.,  work  of 43,86,87 

Field  work,  methods  of 74-76 

Fitch,  C.H.,  work  of 40,68 

Follett,  W.  W.,  work  of 100, 101 

Foote,  A.  D.,  work  of 46, 106, 107, 108 

Gallatin  River,  work  on 45, 92 

Gila  River,  work  on 43,87 

Griswold,  W.T.,  work  of 41 

Hall,  W.  H.,  work  of 48, 102, 103 

Harrison,  Frank,  work  of 43;  86, 87 

Hayden  Valley  Park  a  reservoir  site 95 

Hays,  John  W.,  work  of 40,65,68 

Honey  Lake  basin,  work  in 47 

Hope  Valley,  Nevada 105 

Hopson.L. D., work  of 43,86,88 

Huerfano  River,  work  on 45, 86 

Humboldt  River,  work  on : 47 

Hydraulic  work 19-22,48-45 

Hydrographers,  instructions  for 56 

Hydrographic  observations,  stations 86 

Hydrographic  survey,  work  of 36 

Hydrographic  work 78-108 

Idaho,  work  in 41,88-89 

Idaho  Division,  work  of 46,47 

Independence  Lake,  Nevada — 105, 106 

Instructions  issued  to    chief   topographer 

and  chief  engineer  irrigation  survey 49-57 

Instructions  for  hydrographers 56 

Instruments  used  in  irrigation  survey . .  44, 50, 80-85 

Irrigable  area,  extent  of 14 

Irrigable    land— present    and    prospective 

values 13 

121 


122 


INDEX. 


Page. 
Irrigable   land— considerations    governing 

selection  of 24, 25 

Disposal  of 27,28 

Segregations —       65 

Irrigation,  conditions  of    future   develop- 
ment   . 4-6 

Requisites  of  survey  for 10-12 

Rainfall  available  for 13 

Information  needed  concerning 83 

Expenditures  for  1889  classified 108 

Irrigation  survey,  purpose  of 29-33, 52 

Plan  of 3-3-38 

Law  establishing 38,39 

Details  of  plan  of  operations . .  38-48 

Irrigation  work,  instructions 49-57 

Jackson's  Lake,  Wyoming,  availability  as  a 

reservoir 107 

Jefferson  River,  work  on 45 

Jemez  River,  New  Mexico,  work  on 19, 43, 46, 73 

Johnson,  W.D.,  work  of 18,40,65,68 

Jornado  del  Muerto,  work  on 46 

Karl,  Anton,  work  of 18,65,68,77 

Disbursements  by Ill,  115 

Kern  River,  work  on 47 

Kerr,  M .  B. ,  disbursements  by ..  109, 110, 1 14, 1 17, 1 19 
Lands  capable  of  irrigation,  present  and 

prospective  values 13, 15 

Areas 14,32 

Selection  of 24,25 

Disposal  of 27,28 

Total  segregations 65 

Land  of  the  arid  region,  legislation  needed 

concerning 28 

Laws  authorizing  irrigation  survey 1, 2, 38, 39 

Laws  for  land  tenure,  proposed  modifica- 
tions of 28 

Lewis  Lake 107 

Land-laws,  proposed  modifications  of 28 

Lake  Tahoe,  capacity  as  a  reservoir 22, 23 

Lahontan  Division,  work  of 47, 104-106 

Madison  River,  work  on   45, 92 

Maps',  scale  and  contour  intervals 49 

Use  by -irrigation  engineers. 53 

McChesney,  J.  D. ,  disbursements  by 108, 112 

115,118 

McKinney,  R.  C.,  work  of 40 

McKee,  R.H.,  work  of 42,65,66,67 

Mercer  River,  work  on 102, 103 

Mesilla  Valley,  work  in 46 

Meteorology,  work  in 84 

Milk  River,  work  on 45 

Mills,  Anson  (Major,  U.  S.  Army),  work  of. . .      100 
Mississippi  River,  effect  of  storage  of  water 

of  Missouri  River  floods  on 7 

Missouri  (Upper)  Division,  work  of 45 

Missouri  River,  work  on 17,45,89,92 

Missouri  and  Yellowstone  Rivers,  irrigable 

land  selected  for  segregation C5 

Mokelumne  River,  work  on 42, 102 

Montana,  work  in 17, 40, 66, 71 , 72, 77, 89, 91 

Reservoir  sites  selected  in 61 

Mount  Como  range,  Nevada,  work  on .   66 

Nettleton,  E.S.,workof 45 

Nevada,  work  in 18, 66, 104-106 

Nevada  and  Calif ornia,  work  in 42, 66-68, 76 


Page. 

Newell,  F.  H.,work  of. 44,79,83,86,88 

New  Mexico,  work  in 19, 41, 66, 72-74, 77 

Reservoir  sites  selected  in 63, 64 

New  Mexico  Division,  estimated  expenses. .        46 

Nilometer  described 81 

North  Platte  River,  storage  of  waters  of 24 

Origin  of  the  irrigation  survey 1 

Owens  River  Valley,  irrigable  land  selected 

forirrigation 65 

Payette  River,  work  on 46 

Perkins,  E.T.,  work  of 41 

Phillips,  R.H.,  work  of 41,65,72,73 

Pierce,  Josiah,  jr. ,  work  of 65, 66, 67 

Plane  table,  use  of 50 

Provo  River,  work  on 88 

Puerco  River,  New  Mexico,  work  on 19, 73, 74 

Preliminary  report  of  the  Director  on  the 
survey  of  arid  lands  for  purposes  of  irri- 
gation    16-29 

Quinby,  G.  T.,  work  of 43, 86, 87 

Rainfall,  amount  available  for  irrigation   . .  13, 14 

Determination  of  21 

Regions  of 29 

Rain  gauging 21, 22 

Reservoir  sites,  considerations  governing  se- 
lection    22-24 

Appropriation  of 26, 27 

Discovery  of 34 

Selection  of 54, 55 

Tables 58,59,60,61-64 

Resolution  of  Congress  authorizing  irriga- 

tionsurvey 2 

Rio  Grande,  work  on 41,43,46,87,98-102 

Rio  Grande  Division,  work  of 98-102 

Rio  Grande  Valley,  reservoir  site  surveyed 

near  El  Paso  60 

Irrigable  lands  selected  for  irrigation. . .       65 

Rio  Puerco,  work  on 19,73,74 

Rivers  of  arid  region,  characteristics  of  —        25 

River  flow,  methods  of  measurement 84 

Robertson,  Robert,  work  of 43, 86 

Rockwood,  C.  G.,  work  of 103 

Rogers,  J.B.,  work  of 91 

Sacramento  River,  work  on 47, 86 

Salt  River,  work  on 43, 87 

San  Joaquin  River,  work  on 47 

San  Luis  Valley,  work  in 4ti,  98 

Secretary  of  the  Interior,  letters 1, 8, 15 

Sediment  in  rivers,  measurement  of 1 1 , 20, 21 , 

56,85 

Segregation  work 22 

Senate  resolution  inquiring  as  to  practica- 
bility of  irrigation  survey . . . .  1 

Shoshone  Lake 107 

Snake  River  Basin,  irrigable  land  selected 

for  segregation 65 

Snake  River  Division,  work  of. 106-108 

Snake  River,  work  on 41,44.88,106-108 

South  Platte  River, Colorado,  work  on. . .  18,  111,  24, 

43,69 
Stanislaus  and  Tuolumne  Basins,  reservoir 

sites  surveyed  in -. 59 

Stanislaus  River,  work  on 42, 102 

Stream  gauging 19, 22, 43, 55, 56, 79-82 

Sun  River,  work  on 91, 92 


INDEX. 


123 


Sun  River  Basin,  Montana,  reservoir  sites 

surveyed  in —       59 

Canal  line  surveyed  in 60 

Survey  for  irrigation,  information  required .        11 

Specific  purposes  of 32, 33 

Swan  Valley,  reservoir  site  in 107 

Tahoe  Lake 104 

Taos  Valley,  work  on 46 

Tarr,  R.  S.,  work  of 43, 86 

Tennessee  Fork  of  Arkansas  River,  reser- 
voir sites  on 95,97,98 

Thompson,  A.  H. ,  chief  topographer,  work  of  17, 40 

Letter  of  instructions  to 49-51 

Report  of 65-77 

Topographic  operations 40^3 

Topographic  survey,  work  of 36, 76, 77 

Topographic  work 17-19, 36, 40-43, 65-77 

Recapitulation  of  expenses 43 

Field  methods 74-76 

Topography  of  river  channels 85, 86 

Triangulation  methods 49, 50 

Trowbridge,  W.P.,  work  of 43,86 

Truckee  River,  work  on 18, 23-23, 42, 43, 47, 87, 

88,104 

Tuolumne  River,  work  on 102 

Tuolumne  and  Stanislaus  Basins,  reservoir 
sites  surveyed  hi 59 


Page. 

Tweedy,  Frank,  work  of 40, 65, 71, 77 

Twin  Lakes,  Colorado,  as  a  reservoir 95, 97, 98 

Upper  Missouri  Division,  work  of 45 

Utah,  reservoir  sites  selected  in 63 

Hydrographic  work  in 88 

Utah  Lake,  examinations  of 88 

Value  of  irrigable  lands,  irrigated  and  unir- 

rigated 13, 14 

Verde  River,  work  on 43 

Verrill,  George  E.,  work  of 42,65,66,67 

Wagoner,  L.  P.,  work  of 103 

Walker  River,  Nevada,  work  on 18, 47 

Water  rights 11, 12,28,30-32 

Water  supply,  measurement  of 34-36, 56 

Weber  Lake 106 

Wiley,  A. W.,  work  of 106, 107 

Williams,  J.B.,work  of 43,83,86,88,89 

Wilson,  H.  M. ,  work  of ..  18, 45, 65, 66, 67, 76, 91 , 92, 93 

Wood  River,  work  on 89 

Wyoming,  work  in 43 

Yellowstone  and  Missouri  Rivers,  irrigable 

land  selected  for  segregation 65 

Yellowstone  Lake  as  a  reservoir 93 

Yellowstone  Park,  work  in 93 

Yellowstone  River,  work  on 40, 45, 89 

Yuba  River,  work  on 42 


9  Mar  5  5V  l£ 
APR  2  9)195519 


LD  21 


_lOO,n-l,'54(1887sl6)476 


YE  10877 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CAUFORNIA  LIBRARY 


